HEALTH

Health Service Finance

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the debt of (a) the Royal United hospital, Bath and (b) Kennet and North Wiltshire primary care trust is.

Rosie Winterton: At the end of the financial year 2003–04, the total owed by Royal United hospitals, Bath as a result of previous years overspends was £24.7 million.
	The comparable figure for Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust was £3.9 million.

Doctors (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of out-of-hours provision by doctors in North Yorkshire since 1 April.

John Hutton: It is the legal responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that patients have access to high quality out-of-hours services which are delivered to nationally set quality requirements. The four PCTs North Yorkshire will be entering into an agreement with North Yorkshire Emergency Doctors, an established provider of general practitioner home visiting services for out-of-hours services, later this year.

Obesity

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the Government's efforts to tackle obesity.

Melanie Johnson: Representations have been received as part of the Choosing Health, Choosing a Better Diet and Choosing Activity consultations. These responses and the Health Select Committee report on obesity will inform the development of the White Paper on improving health, due to be published later this year.

Primary Care (Out-of-hours Services)

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of arrangements put in place by primary care trusts for out-of-hours services.

John Hutton: Primary Care Trusts are responsible for commissioning out-of-hours services which are delivered to nationally set quality requirements. Strategic Health Authorities are responsible for performance managing Primary Care Trusts in the delivery of these services.

Diagnostic Equipment

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to reduce waiting and delivery times for diagnostic equipment.

John Hutton: The national health service is committed to reducing the length of time that people wait before their treatment starts. By 2008 patients will wait no longer than 18 weeks from general practitioner referral to the start of treatment and this includes access to diagnostics.

Alcohol Strategy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implementation of his Department's alcohol strategy.

Melanie Johnson: The Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy was published on 15 March 2004, meeting the Government's commitment to publish and implement the strategy from 2004. The Sensible-drinking message will be revised by spring next year and an audit of demand for provision of alcohol treatment will be completed by 31 January 2005

Children's Hospices

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the guidance he issues to Primary Care Trusts on the funding of children's hospices.

Stephen Ladyman: Standards for the provision of services for children with life limiting or life threatening illnesses who need palliative care will be issued shortly under the National Service Framework for children and maternity services. Decisions on funding are the responsibility of Primary Care Trusts in line with their assessment of local priorities.

Accident and Emergency Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the demand on accident and emergency services.

Rosie Winterton: A&E attendance numbers are collected and published quarterly. The latest figures were made available on 27 August. There were a total of 4,502,578 new and follow up attendances at major A&Es, minor injury units and walk-in centres between April and June 2004.

Accident and Emergency Services

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the changes introduced by the new general medical services contract on accident and emergency admissions in the out-of-hours period.

John Hutton: No information has been put forward to date to the Department suggesting the established pattern of when patients arrive at accident and emergency during each day has generally altered following the changes to the general medical services contract. We are, however, monitoring any possible impact of the changes to the contract on A&E closely and will continue to do so.

NHS Administrative Staff

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff in the national health service is engaged in administration; and what the percentage was 10 years ago.

John Hutton: Current non-medical workforce figures are not directly comparable with pre-1995 figures. As at September 2003, 19 per cent. of the total NHS workforce were managers and clerical and administrative staff compared with 17 per cent. in 1995. Many administrative and clerical staff work directly to health professionals freeing them up to do their job, such as health care support workers and medical secretaries.

Health and Social Care Act

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has issued to the NHS about public consultations under sections 7 and 11 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 in respect of election periods.

Rosie Winterton: Sections 7 and 11 guidance does not refer specifically to public consultations during election periods. The guidance supporting section 7 makes it clear that the NHS organisation consulting overview and scrutiny committees should agree with them how long the consultation period should last.

Pharmacists

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role of pharmacists in preventive health programmes.

Rosie Winterton: Pharmacists already contribute to health improvement, including through stopping smoking services, emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) and needle exchange schemes. We will significantly expand this role through the proposed new contractual framework for community pharmacy, underpinned by a pharmaceutical public health strategy due in 2005.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on making magnifying equipment more easily available to people who are registered visually impaired with age related macular degeneration; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: We have received representation from hon. and right hon. Members and the Royal National Institute of the Blind regarding the provision of closed circuit television (CCTV) readers to help visually impaired people with certain tasks.
	The provision of CCTVs and other non-optical aids is a decision that lies with social services departments as they are considered to be aids to daily living. Being registered as visually impaired is not a pre-requisite to receiving services. Social services departments are responsible for assessing an individual's needs and for arranging services to meet those needs; this could include the provision of CCTV. However, hand-held, stand and spectacle-mounted magnifiers are easier to use, more widely available, more accessible and more cost effective.
	Encouragement is being given to hospital and social service departments to work more closely together, and perhaps operate a joint budget to allow more flexibility in funding equipment, and provide a wider range of services and equipment than has hitherto been available. The overall level of funding for aids to vision will, however, rest with primary care trusts and local councils.

Community Health Councils

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual running costs for community health councils were in each year from 1997 onwards.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Community health council running costs (£ million) 
		
		
			 1997–98 22.561 
			 1998–99 22.561 
			 1999–2000 23 
			 2000–01 23 
			 2001–02 23 
			 2002–03 23 
			 2003–04 15

Eating Disorders

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will estimate the prevalence of eating disorders among (a) women and (b) men in England;
	(2)  how many (a) children, (b) adolescents and (c) adults suffered from eating disorders in each year since 1997, broken down by gender.

Rosie Winterton: Information about the prevalence of eating disorders in adults is not collected centrally.
	"The mental health of children and adolescents in Great Britain", a survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 1999, found that the prevalence of eating disorders among all children aged five to 15 was 0.1 per cent., and the rate for girls aged five to 15 was 0.2 per cent.

Eating Disorders

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum travelling distance is for patients with eating disorders to specialist health care services.

Rosie Winterton: Information is not collected centrally about the travelling distances that may be involved when patients are referred for treatment for specialist treatment.

Eating Disorders

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision there is for specialist treatment for eating disorders in (a) England, (b) each region and (c) each strategic health authority; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not centrally available.
	People with eating disorders can access mental health services in and through primary care. Details of services available locally can be obtained from strategic health authorities.

Eating Disorders

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) maximum waiting time for (i) outpatient and (ii) inpatient treatment for eating disorders has been in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the requested format.

Foundation Trusts Regulator

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure was on the rebranding of the Independent Regulator for Foundation Trusts as Monitor.

John Hutton: I understand from the chairman of Monitor that the total costs of the design work for the development and implementation of the Monitor brand was £24,465, excluding VAT.
	The total costs includes £8,200 on re-branding and enhancing the website and £3,000 on the application of the new design to letterhead business cards and presentation material. Monitor timed the introduction of its new name to coincide with its relocation to new offices thereby minimising the additional expenditure required.

General Practitioners

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there were in the London Borough of Havering in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London boroughs.

John Hutton: The number of general practitioners broken down by boroughs is not collected centrally. However, the tables show the number of GPs broken down by strategic health authority and primary care trust.
	
		General medical practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) for London by strategic health authority (SHA) -- Numbers (headcount)
		
			   1997 March 2004 
		
		
			 London SHA  4,324 4,676 
			 North West London Q04 1,164 1157 
			 North Central London Q05 744 795 
			 North East London Q06 849 926 
			 South East London Q07 833 974 
			 South West London Q08 734 824 
		
	
	Note:
	All practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) include general medical service (QMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners. Data as at 1 October 1997 and 31 March 2004.
	Source:
	Department of Health general and personal medical services statistics.
	
		General medical practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) for London by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) -- Numbers (headcount)
		
			 London, as at 31 March 2004 General medical practitioners(excluding retainers, registrars and locums) (1) 
		
		
			 London  4,676 
			 Q05 North Central London 795 
			 5A9 Barnet PCT 234 
			 5K7 Camden PCT 139 
			 5C1 Enfield PCT 151 
			 5C9 Haringey PCT 143 
			 5K8 Islington PCT 128 
			 Q06 North East London 926 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 80 
			 5C3 City and Hackney PCT 156 
			 5A4 Havering PCT 124 
			 5C5 Newham PCT 171 
			 5NA Redbridge PCT 121 
			 5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 135 
			 5NC Waltham Forest PCT 139 
			 Q04 North West London 1,157 
			 5K5 Brent PCT 194 
			 5HX Ealing PCT 193 
			 5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 96 
			 5K6 Harrow PCT 140 
			 5AT Hillingdon PCT 140 
			 5HY Hounslow PCT 129 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 113 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 152 
			 Q07 South East London 974 
			 5AX Bexley Ct 120 
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 193 
			 5A8 Greenwich PCT 131 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 203 
			 5LF Lewisham PCT 164 
			 5LE Southwark PCT 163 
			 Q08 South West London 824 
			 5K9 Croydon PCT 197 
			 5A5 Kingston PCT 103 
			 5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT114 
			 5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 211 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT 199 
		
	
	(1) All practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) include general medical service (QMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	Source:
	Department of Health general and personal medical services statistics.

Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he proposes to make a draft order on the Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture: Proposals for statutory regulation for consultation; and when he proposes to lay the draft order before Parliament;
	(2)  how many responses he has received to the Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture: Proposals for statutory regulation; and how many were (a) in favour of and (b) against his Department's proposals for collaborative regulation;
	(3)  if he will publish the results of the consultation on the Regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture: Proposals for statutory regulation.

John Hutton: On 2 March, I published proposals for the statutory regulation of herbal medicine and acupuncture practitioners. The consultation period closed on 7 June. An analysis of the responses to the consultation will be published in the autumn. I plan to publish draft legislation for further consultation in 2005.
	In all, about 700 responses have been received, of which 255 expressed a view about the proposals for collaborative regulation. Of these responses, 93 agreed with the proposals in the consultative document and 162 disagreed. In addition I received over 200 letters as part of a write-in campaign specifically expressing concern about the proposals for collaborative regulation.

Hospital-acquired Infections

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to set a target for reducing MRSA infections.

John Hutton: Yes. We published details of this target on 21 July 2004.

King's College Hospital

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been introduced to improve the (a) hygiene of wards, (b) speed of response of staff when called by patients, (c) provision of cold water, (d) availability of ice cubes, (e) regularity with which bedding is changed, (f) cleanliness of toilets, (g) availability of plain food for patients and (h) prevention of acquisition and spread of MRSA in King's College Hospital, London, since 29 June.

John Hutton: This information is not held centrally.

Myasthenia Gravis

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on hospital waiting times for patients diagnosed with myasthenia gravis.

John Hutton: Waiting times data are collected by consultant specialty and not for specific conditions. Specialty level data would include various conditions as well as myasthenia gravis disorders. Therefore it is not possible to determine the waits for myasthenia gravis.

NHS Dentistry

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices in the London borough of Wandsworth provide NHS treatment; what the number was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: The number of practices providing general dental service in Wandsworth Primary Care Trust (PCT) area between 1999 and 2004 is shown in the following table.
	
		Number of general dental practices in Wandsworth PCT area at 30 September 1999 to 2003 and 30 June 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999 70 
			 2000 69 
			 2001 68 
			 2002 67 
			 2003 61 
			 2004 59 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The number of practices in the PCT area have been estimated from practice postcodes information.
	2. Some patients in the Wandsworth PCT area will attend dentists in other areas.
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints he received regarding the availability of NHS dentistry in the London Borough of Havering for (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London boroughs.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally. Local trusts, in partnership with their health community, have responsibility for local services and the support systems which they have put in place and a corresponding responsibility to improve upon these. It is, therefore, appropriate that they investigate complaints and respond accordingly.
	However, Ministers received a total of 19 letters on dental access from the London area in the period from 1 January 2004 to the present.

NHS Dentistry

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists were operating in the London Borough of Havering in (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London boroughs.

John Hutton: The numbers of general and personal dental service dentists in Havering Primary Care Trust (PCT) area and for all other London PCTs at June 1997 and June 2004 are shown in the table.
	
		National health service: Number of dentists in London PCTs at June 1997 and June 2004
		
			 PCT 1997 2004 
		
		
			 Havering 87 111 
			
			 Barking and Dagenham 50 57 
			 Barnet 181 208 
			 Bexley Care Trust 94 95 
			 Brent 157 169 
			 Bromley 147 177 
			 Camden 147 165 
			 City and Hackney 99 94 
			 Croydon 170 189 
			 Ealing 200 191 
			 Enfield 117 154 
			 Greenwich 95 114 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 121 150 
			 Haringey 124 144 
			 Harrow 106 128 
			 Hillingdon 105 127 
			 Hounslow 139 149 
			 Islington 92 119 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 83 82 
			 Kingston 68 81 
			 Lambeth 130 141 
			 Lewisham 116 127 
			 Newham 82 97 
			 Redbridge 105 144 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 98 112 
			 Southwark 110 99 
			 Sutton and Merton 174 190 
			 Tower Hamlets 72 93 
			 Waltham Forest 80 99 
			 Wandsworth 150 159 
			 Westminster 204 193 
		
	
	Source:
	Dental Practice Board.
	Dentists are counted in each PCT in which they practice.

NHS Information Technology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 29 July 2004, ref.185963, on NHS IT, if he will publish a summary of the recommendations of the Gateway review.

John Hutton: I have no current plans to do so. The considerations of confidentiality attaching to Gateway reviews apply equally to any recommendations they may contain.

NHS Information Technology

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what reviews his Department has undertaken into the financial viability of (a) contractors and (b) sub-contractors of companies working on the NHS National Programme for Information Technology;
	(2)  if the Department will ask Accenture to report on the (a) financial standing and (b) accounting treatment of revenues and profits at iSoft.

John Hutton: It is a standard precautionary business practice to commission financial and market assessments of prospective business partners. In addition to the financial evaluation of companies as pare of the Official Journal of the European Union competitive process, all organisations tendering to become prime contractors of the national programme for information technology, and relevant sub-contractors, were subjected to financial and market assessments before contractual arrangement were entered into. This was undertaken by specialist advisers; themselves and selected by competitive process.
	The Department has no current plans separately to ask Accenture for a report specifically on the financial standing of its subcontractor iSoft, or on the accounting treatment of revenues and profits by the company. These are matters between iSoft and its auditors.

NHS Information Technology

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Department has inquired as to why iSoft has suspended one of its executive directors.

John Hutton: We are aware from press reports that iSoft has recently suspended one of its executive directors and anticipate that a further announcement will be made by the company following the completion of its internal investigations. We do not regard it as the business of the Department to inquire into the circumstances of the suspension. This is a matter for the company to resolve with the director concerned.

NHS Pension Scheme

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes are proposed to the NHS pension scheme; and how many existing contributing members to the scheme there are in each (a) region and (b) county.

John Hutton: The NHS Confederation is leading a review of the National Health Service Pension Scheme, in partnership with the NHS Pensions Agency, the National Assembly for Wales, the Department of Health and the NHS Trade Unions. The review has made good progress but formal proposals have not yet been finalised. The aim is to have proposals ready for consultation by the end of autumn.
	The NHS Pension Scheme currently has over 1.1 million contributing members. Unfortunately, it is not possible, due to the way in which the NHS Pensions Agency holds its data, to identify the geographical profile of the membership.

NHS Register of Interests

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to initiate a register of interests for NHS medical practitioners to declare (a) shares in, (b) gifts from and (c) other interests in pharmaceutical companies.

John Hutton: All national health service staff are already required to declare interests, gifts and sponsorship which might be seen to compromise their position on local registers. The Department last reviewed this in 2002 and considers the current arrangements to be adequate.

NHS Register of Interests

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to monitor the amount of drugs prescribed to NHS patients which have been donated by pharmaceutical companies as promotional material.

Rosie Winterton: The supply of samples by pharmaceutical companies is regulated under the Medicines (Advertising) Regulations 1994. These stipulate that a free sample must be of the smallest pack of a medicine available for sale, that it may only be provided to a prescriber in response to a written request and that it should be clearly labelled as a promotional sample not for resale. We expect primary care trusts to act on any local evidence that promotional material is being misused.

Non-clinical NHS Jobs

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many new non-clinical jobs have been created within the NHS since 1997;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the role of NHS staff in non-clinical posts in improving the health of NHS patients.

John Hutton: Non-clinical staff perform vital functions within the national health service and make an important contribution to the delivery of healthcare and will continue to do so as the clinical NHS workforce increases. Many of them work directly to support clinicians, leaving them free to work with patients. Others working in NHS infrastructure support perform essential and unavoidable tasks, such as cleaning, paying staff, ordering supplies and recruitment.
	Between 1997 and 2003, the number of clinical staff and staff working in direct support to clinical staff has increased by 195,059 and the number of staff working in infrastructure support has increased by 29,185.

Nurse Consultants

Marion Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has met the NHS Plan target of 1,000 nurse consultants employed in the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 7 September 2004
	Latest figures indicate that, as at December 2003, 870 nurse consultant posts had been approved in the national health service. Responsibility for monitoring progress against this target has now passed to strategic health authorities.

Oldchurch Hospital

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints he received regarding Oldchurch Hospital in the London Borough of Havering for (a) 1997 and (b) 2004; and what the figures are for all other London hospitals.

John Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Local trusts, in partnership with their health community, have responsibility for local services and the support systems, which they have put in place, and a corresponding responsibility to improve upon these. It is therefore appropriate that they investigate complaints and respond accordingly.

Osteoporosis Services

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies he has received of osteoporosis services in other EU countries.

Stephen Ladyman: No such studies have been received. However, we understand that "Osteoporosis in the European—Members States Policy Progress Report and Action Plan" is due to be posted on the European Commission website for access to all member states.

Passive Smoking

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Government's public health priorities in relation to passive smoking.

Melanie Johnson: We have completed a major national public consultation on the best ways to improve people's health, including what can be done to tackle secondhand smoke.
	We are considering the many responses we have received. These will inform the White Paper on improving health that will be published later this year.

Patient Environment and Assessment Teams

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the months in which Patient Environment and Assessment Team inspections have taken place in each year since inspections began.

John Hutton: Since its inception in 2000, there have been five rounds of patient environment action team assessments, with additional visits to some hospitals in the summer of 2001. Details of when those visits took place are shown in the table.
	
		Patient environment action team assessments
		
			  From To 
		
		
			 2000 August October 
			 2001 January March 
			 2001 August September 
			 2002 January May 
			 2002 November May 2003 
			 2003 December May 2004

Postgraduate Medical Students

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance is available to postgraduate medical trainees for expenses on (a) text books, (b) medical equipment and (c) examination fees; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Postgraduate medical trainees are usually salaried employees of the national health service. As such, they do not receive specific help with their textbooks, equipment and examination fees. They do have access to postgraduate centres and libraries. They also have access to funded study leave, which enables postgraduate trainees to access specific courses and programmes, which enhance the training they receive through the NHS. Much of the equipment they will use is of course available through their employers. Trainees should have access either to standard texts and/or to the internet within the workplace.

St. Helens and Knowsley Hospital Trust

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for accident and emergency department services in St Helens and Knowsley Hospital Trust was for each year from 1997 to 2004.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected; information is collected for the percentage of patients spending four hours or less in accident and emergency departments from arrival to discharge, admission or transfer. The latest information available is shown in the table.
	
		Total time spent in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. National Health Service organisations in England, 2003–04, January to March (quarter 4)
		
			  Major A&E (type 1 only) All A&E f Mill WiC (Type 1,2,3) 
			 Year Quarter Strategic health authority Organisation identifier Name Total attendances Percentage of patients who spent less than four hours in A&E Total attendances Percentage of patients who spent less than four hours in A&E 
		
		
			 2003–04 4   England 3,059,698 90.6 4,009,142 92.7 
			 2003–04 4 Q15 RBN St. Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 21,140 88.0 25,680 90 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health dataset QMAE
	Status: Published 16 July 2004

Working Time Directive

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action can be taken in the domestic courts against NHS Trusts that fail to comply with the Working Time Directive.

John Hutton: Individuals may take a case to an employment tribunal where the employer has failed to let them exercise their entitlement to daily and weekly rest, including compensatory rest.
	Complaints can also be raised with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in relation to individuals having to work in excess of the maximum working week. As a result of investigating the trust, the Health and Safety Executive is likely to serve improvement notices where claims are upheld. Further action beyond this, including possible criminal proceedings in the lower or magistrate's court, depends on actions taken by the employer in response to the notice served.
	In addition, individuals may take a case to a county court in instances where there has been a breach of contract, for example, where they have been made to work over the averaged hours limit or where an employer has failed in his/her duty of care.

TREASURY

Council of Ministers

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  if he will provide a written ministerial statement outlining the key points on the agenda for each of the Council of Ministers' meetings at which his Department is represented in advance of each meeting;
	(2)  if he will provide a written ministerial statement outlining for each meeting of the Council of Ministers at which his Department is represented as soon as is practicable following that meeting (a) the key items of discussion, (b) the positions of the Government on those items, (c) the key positions taken by other member states that Ministers consider should be noted by hon. Members and (d) any preliminary discussion on the timing and the agenda of the following meeting.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Foreign Secretary dated 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1451W.

Crown Estate

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of applications made to the Crown Estate's Research Committee for research proposals has been for the financial year 2004–05; how many applications have been made for funding; what the total value of research funding allocated is for the financial year 2004–05; and how many applications for research funding in 2004–05 have been successful.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 22 July 2004
	Since September 2003, The Crown Estate Fish Farming Research Committee has become part of the independent Scottish Aquaculture Research Forum (SARF). The Crown Estate has committed £100,000 per annum to SARF for 2004–05 and 2005–06.
	Additional marine based research funding is also available from The Crown Estate. This includes other aquaculture funding, the offshore research fund, the marine stewardship fund, and the renewables and communities fund. The Crown Estate expects to spend around £650,000 on these projects for the year 2004–05.
	For the financial year 2004–05, 32 applications (17 of which were not costed) have been received for the marine stewardship fund. Three have been successful and a further seven are still under consideration. Two applications have been made for aquaculture projects, of which one has been successful and the other is under consideration. Three applications have been made for marine aggregate research projects, of which one has been successful and the other two are under consideration. Finally, two applications have been made to the renewables and community fund and are still under consideration.

Day Memberships

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  when he will announce the results of the consultation on his plans to amend the gift aid rules on day memberships;
	(2)  pursuant to his answer of 30 March 2004, Official Report, columns 1350–351W, on gift aid, for what reasons an announcement on the results of the consultation on his plans to amend the gift aid rules on day memberships was not made at around the time of the 2004 Spending Review.

John Healey: The consultation period ended on 11 June. We are evaluating the responses to that consultation and will announce the results in due course.

Departmental Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest available 12 month figures are for the proportion of the Department's redundant documentation, waste paper and card that is recycled; and if he will make a statement on the Department's recycling policy.

Stephen Timms: It is the policy of the Treasury to recycle all waste paper and card. The figures for the period 1 September 2003 to 31 August 2004 were 160,820 kg of paper, and 10,420 kg of cardboard.

Eating Disorders

Paul Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths there were of patients suffering from eating disorders, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender, in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Paul Burstow, dated 14 September 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths there were of patients suffering from eating disorders, broken down by (a) age and (b) gender, in each year since 1997. (187870)
	Information is not available in the exact form requested. However, figures are available on:
	(1) hospital admissions for patients diagnosed with eating disorders (not necessarily as the primary diagnosis) and where the discharge method was death;
	(2) deaths where an eating disorder was mentioned on the death certificate.
	This information is given in the attached tables for the years 1997 to 2002.
	
		Table 1: Finished Consultant Episodes (FCE's)1, 2 with death as method of discharge and eating disorders(4) mentioned as a diagnosis, by sex and broad age group, 1997–98 to 2002–03, NHS Hospitals in, England(5)
		
			 Group 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 
		
		
			 Male   
			 Under 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 15–44 * * * 0 * * 
			 45–64 * * * 0 * * 
			 65+ 10 10 11 15 9 14 
			 Male Total 14 13 18 15 12 16 
			
			 Female   
			 Under 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 15–44 20 * * 7 15 21 
			 45–64 9 * * 12 7 12 
			 65+ 37 22 28 30 34 32 
			 Female Total 66 34 43 49 56 65 
		
	
	* Small number (Figures between 1 and 5, with secondary suppression to avoid disclosure by differencing) have been suppressed to protect patient confidentiality.
	(2) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within a year.
	(3) These figures represent a count of all FCEs where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 (7 prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episodes Statistics record.
	(4) International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code F50
	(5) Figures are grossed for coverage, except for 2002/03 which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health
	
		Table 2: Number of deaths where an eating disorder(6) was mentioned on the death certificate, by sex and broad age group, England and Wales, 1997–2002(7)
		
			 Age group 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Male   
			 Under 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 15–44 2 2 5 4 1 0 
			 45–64 1 2 4 1 1 1 
			 65 plus 5 6 6 2 7 1 
			 Male total 8 10 15 7 9 2 
			
			 Female   
			 Under 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 15–44 23 10 19 13 17 26 
			 45–64 11 4 5 15 8 9 
			 65 plus 11 17 17 24 18 17 
			 Female total 45 31 41 52 43 52 
		
	
	(6) Cause of death was defined using ICD-9 codes 307.1 and 307.5 for 1997–2000, and ICD-10 code F50 for 2001–2002. Figures coded to different revisions of the 1CD are not completely comparable.
	(7) Figures are based on deaths occurring in 1997–2002.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Endowment Mortgage Mis-selling

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people who are eligible to claim compensation for the mis-selling of endowment mortgages; and what proportion of those who have claimed have been successful.

Stephen Timms: Given the passage of time since the majority of endowment policies were sold and the lack of contemporaneous records of the advice given at the time, it is difficult to be certain of the number of consumers who may have been mis-sold their policy. The Government supports moves by the FSA to take forward a programme of research to form a better understanding of the numbers of endowment policies facing shortfalls. The FSA had received a total of 452,201 complaints on this subject by 31 March 2004. Information provided by the FSA indicates that the proportion of consumer complaints upheld by firms is now approximately 60 per cent. in favour of consumers, and from those complaints reaching the Financial Ombudsman Service, the figure for cases decided in favour of the consumer is 42 per cent.

Environmentally Sustainable Economic Activity

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what the growth rate has been in environmentally sustainable economic activity in each year since 1997;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on (a) the performance of environmental investments funds as an indicator of the strength of environmentally sustainable economic activity and (b) the success of Government policies for promoting environmentally sustainable economic activity.

John Healey: The Government are committed to developing and implementing policies that will simultaneously deliver social, economic and environmental progress. We do not separately measure the growth rate in 'environmentally sustainable economic activity' but in 1999 we established a set of 15 headline indicators and a wider set of core indicators to provide a baseline against which progress on sustainable development could be measured. Economic, social and environmental indicators are included and are reported on in the "Achieving A Better Quality of Life" annual reports. The indicators are being reviewed as part of the review of the UK Sustainable Development Strategy.
	The Government welcome innovation in investment products to meet the needs of their clients' preferences, of which environmental investment funds are one option.

EU Budget

Ann Winterton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his projection is of the percentage of gross domestic product the UK will pay to the European Union budget under the post-2006 financial settlement.

Stephen Timms: The new Financial Perspective for the period from January 2007 will not be agreed by member states before next year. The Government's latest forecast of UK net contributions to the EC Budget, which covers the period to 2007–08, was included in a footnote to Table A1 of the Statistical Annex to the 2004 Spending Review (Cm 6237) published on 12 July 2004. This forecast is used for public expenditure planning purposes and assumes an appropriately uprated roll forward of the status quo. It is without prejudice to the Government's assessment of the likely outcome of the negotiations on the new financial perspective.

EU Budget

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made towards an IMF programme for Iraq.

John Healey: The Iraqi authorities are currently engaged in regular and ongoing discussions with the IMF on a possible programme for Iraq.

EU Budget

John Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to assist economic reform in Iraq.

John Healey: The UK aims to support economic reform in Iraq in the short term by working towards rapid agreement on an IMF programme, and by securing agreement in the Paris Club to write off the vast majority of Iraq's foreign debt by the end of the year. The UK will continue to support the efforts of the Iraqi authorities to develop a sustainable, stable and appropriate fiscal and monetary framework for Iraq, and to develop and implement policies to achieve and sustain rapid growth, high employment and poverty reduction.

Leasehold Property Sales

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to permit Muslims to buy leasehold property on the same or similar basis to freehold within the provisions in the Budget to prevent double stamp duty and allow purchases without payment of interest as a consequence.

Stephen Timms: The Government want to see consumers benefit from a wide choice and innovation in the financial services market. The Finance Act 2003 introduced two reliefs (s72 and s73) for purchases funded by "alternative property financing", which enables individuals to finance a property without paying interest. The combined effect of these reliefs is to place the amount of stamp duty land tax due when purchasing property using these arrangements on a level footing with the amount due on the purchase of property when using 'conventional' mortgage products. This will remove a significant barrier to the development of alternative property financing, thus benefiting a range of consumers with increased choice in the mortgage market.
	The legislation does not discriminate between freehold and leasehold properties, so both can be purchased using alternative property financing without a greater quantity of stamp duty being incurred than under a conventional mortgage.

National Debt

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what (a) the value and (b) the interest paid on the national debt has been in each year since 1990.

Stephen Timms: The measure used in this Government's sustainable' investment rule and in international comparisons of debt is Public Sector Net Debt as a percentage of GDP.
	Figures for public sector net debt and central Government debt interest payments in current prices are available on the Office for National Statistics website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/tsdtables1.asp?vlnk=fsf. Table 1.1A: Public Sector Finances (series RUTN and RUTO) shows figures for public sector net debt in £ billion and as a percentage of GDP. Table 1.1C: Central Government (series NMFX) shows debt interest payments in £ billions. No data is available for debt interest payments by local authorities or public corporations.

Staff Recruitment

Andrew Turner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) set retirement age applying to all or most personnel and (b) maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered is in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is available in the following table:
	
		
			 Department/ Agency (a) Set retirement age (a) Maximum retirement age (b) Maximum age employment applications considered 
		
		
			 HM Treasury Age 60 Age 60 Age 59 
			 Valuation Office Age 60 Age 65 Age 64 
			 Royal Mint Age 60 Age 65 Permanent application up to age 59, Casual applications up to age 64 
			 Debt Management Office Age 60 Age 70 Age 60 unless there is a business justification for an older person 
			 National Savings and Investments Age 60 None None—Age, like other diversity data is not considered as part of NSI's selection criteria which is purely role related. 
			 Office National Statistics Age 65 Age 65 Age 64 right tip until 65th Birthday 
			 Government Actuaries Dept. Age 60 None GAD currently does not operate a maximum age limit requirement. 
			 Inland Revenue Age 60 Age 65 None up to Age 65 
			 Office of Government Commerce (8)Age 60 (8)None None up to retirement age 
			 HM Customs and Excise (9)— (9)— Age 65 
		
	
	(8) OGC buying solutions retirement age is currently 65 for Ban 1 (Administrative Officer equivalent) staff and 60 for all other staff. However as with OGC normal staff, consideration would be given to staff working beyond this, subject to business needs.
	(9) In HM Customs and Excise the set (maximum) retirement age is:
	60 for staff at Bands 7 (HEO equivalent) and above, of which there were 7,877 in post (on 1 July 2004);
	62 for staff at Bands 5 and 6 (EO equivalent), of which there were 8,143 in post and in post; and
	65 for staff at Band 4 (AO equivalent) and below, of which there were 7,182 in post.

Stamp Duty

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the revenue implication of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales to charge marginal rates of (a) 0 per cent. on property sales of £120,000 or less, 3 per cent. on sales between £120,000 and £249,999, 4 per cent. on sales between £250,000 and £499,999 and 8 per cent. on sales of £500,000 and above, (b) 0 per cent. on property sales up to £100,000, 3 per cent. on sales between £100,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales between £250,000 and £499,999 and 8 per cent. on sales of £500,000 and above, (c) 0 per cent. on property sales up to £100,000, 2 per cent. on sales between £100,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales between £250,000 and £499,999 and 8 per cent. on sales of £500,000 or above, (d) 0 per cent. on property sales up to £110,000, 3 per cent. on sales between £110,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales between £250,000 and £499,999 and 8 per cent. on sales of £500,000 and (e) 0 per cent. sales up to £110,000, 2 per cent. on sales between £110,000 and £249,999, 5 per cent. on sales between £249,999 and £499,999, 8 per cent. on sales of £500,000 or above.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 13 September 2004
	The estimated revenue cost, in 2005–06, of restructuring stamp duty on residential property sales according to the five schemes described in the question is given in the following tables:
	
		
			  Tax regime 1 Marginal rates 
		
		
			 Price of residential property  
			 £0-£119,999 (percentage) 0 
			 £120,000-£249,999 (percentage) 3 
			 £250,000-£499,999 (percentage) 4 
			 £500,000 and above (percentage) 8 
			   
			 Revenue cost (£ million) 690 
		
	
	
		
			  Tax regime 2 Marginal rates Tax regime 3 Marginal rates 
		
		
			 Price of residential property   
			 £0-£99,999 (percentage) 0 0 
			 £100,000-£249,999 (percentage) 3 2% 
			 £250,000-£499,999 (percentage) 5 5 
			 £500,000 and above (percentage) 8 8 
			
			 Revenue cost (£ million) -60 690 
		
	
	
		
			  Tax regime 4 Marginal rates Tax regime 5 Marginal rates 
		
		
			 Price of residential property   
			 £0-£109,999 (percentage) 0 0 
			 £110,000-£249,993 (percentage) 3 2 
			 £250,000-£499,999 (percentage) 5 5 
			 £500,000 above (percentage) 8 8 
			
			 Revenue cost (£ million) 190 860 
		
	
	This does not include any allowance for behavioural changes.

Stamp Duty

Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in which neighbourhoods in Newcastle exemptions and remissions of stamp duty apply; what the value of the exemptions and remissions so far granted has been; and whether the boundaries of the neighbourhoods will be revised in the light of the new index of multiple deprivation.

Stephen Timms: The list of wards in Newcastle which qualify for deprived areas relief are Walker, Monkchester, Elswick, West City, Byker, Scotswood, Benwell, Woolsington, Moorside, Fawdon, Blakelaw, Kenton, Wingroye, Fenham, Newburn, Walkergate and Denton.
	The value of relief given in the listed Newcastle wards between inception of the relief at the end of November 2001, and the end of March 2004, is estimated at around £4 million.
	There will be no changes to the qualifying areas before December 2006.

Tax Credits

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) 2003–04 and (b) the current financial year to date have been overpaid tax credits; what proportion of the cases of overpayment were due to error by the Inland Revenue; and in what proportion of the cases the Inland Revenue has attempted to recover overpayments.

Dawn Primarolo: The total number of (a) 2003–04 and (b) current financial year awards that are overpaid will be available only when all the awards for the years in question are finalised.

Unoccupied Young People

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Tamworth constituency aged between 16 and 24 years were both economically inactive and not in further or higher education (a) in 1997 and (b) in the latest year available.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Brian Jenkins, dated 14 September 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about economic inactivity in the Tamworth Parliamentary Constituency. I am replying in his absence. (188096)
	Estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the twelve months periods ending February 2003 show that there were over 12 thousand residents aged 16–24 in private households in the Tamworth Parliamentary Constituency. Of these, around 10 thousand were not in full-time education and of that figure, fewer than 2 thousand were economically inactive.
	The corresponding figures for the 12 months ending February 1997 showed that out of a total of just under 11 thousand 16–24 year olds, nearly 9 thousand were not in full-time education and, of these, less than 2 thousand were economically inactive.
	These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Unoccupied Young People

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the Bridgwater constituency aged between 16 and 24 years are both economically inactive and not in further or higher education.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Ian Liddell-Grainger, dated 14 September 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about economic inactivity. (186501)
	Estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) for the twelve months ending May 2003 show that there were 9,000 residents in private households aged 16 to 24 in the Bridgwater Parliamentary Constituency. Of these, 6,000 were not in full-time education and, among those, fewer than 1,000 were economically inactive.
	These estimates are based on small sample sizes and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution.

Worker:Pensioner Ratio

Denzil Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the ratio of workers to pensioners in the (a) United Kingdom, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Denzil Davies, dated 14 September 2004
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the ratio of workers to pensioners in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each region of England, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales. I am replying in his absence. (188129)
	The attached table gives the estimated ratios of people in employment to the population estimates above pension age by gender and region for the three months ending August 2003.
	These ratios have been calculated by dividing the estimated employed population aged 16 and over, obtained from the ONS Labour Force Survey (LFS), by the estimated populations of men aged 65 and over and of women aged 60 and over.
	
		Ratio of people in employment to estimates of population above pension age(10)by gender and Government office regions; summer (June to August) 2003 not seasonally adjusted
		
			  Total Male Female 
		
		
			 England 2.6 3.8 1.9 
			 North East 2.2 3.2 1.6 
			 North West (inc Merseyside) 2.4 3.6 1.8 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 2.5 3.7 1.8 
			 East Midlands 2.5 3.7 1.9 
			 West Midlands 2.5 3.6 1.8 
			 Eastern 2.5 3.7 1.9 
			 
			 London 3.3 5.1 2.3 
			 South-East 2.6 3.8 1.9 
			 South West 2.2 3.2 1.7 
			 
			 Wales 2.2 3.2 1.7 
			 
			 Scotland 2.5 3.8 1.8 
			 
			 Northern Ireland 2.7 4.3 1.8 
			 
			 United Kingdom 2.5 3.7 1.8 
		
	
	(10) Pension age is defined as women aged 60 plus and men aged 65 plus. Ratio was calculated as people in employment divided by number of people above pension age.
	Source:
	ONS—Labour Force Survey
	ONS—Population Estimates

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

AIDS/HIV

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to ensure that AIDS/HIV prevention is given a high priority during the UK presidency of the (a) G8 and (b) EU.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Government's strategy on AIDS "Taking Action: The UK's strategy for tackling HIV and AIDS in the developing world", published in July, signals that HIV and AIDS, with a special focus on Africa, will be a centrepiece for our Presidencies of both the G8 and of the EU in 2005. DFID is currently developing ideas about how best to use our G8 and EU Presidencies to promote accelerated international action on HIV and AIDS.
	DFID is working closely with the other countries that hold the EU Presidency during this period (including Ireland, who hosted an important meeting on new HIV prevention technologies during their Presidency) and the European Commission to ensure that the European contribution to preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS is as effective as possible.

Chechnya

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much (a) financial and (b) humanitarian assistance Russia has received from the UK in relation to the recent terrorist atrocities in Beslan.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Following a crisis, DFID assesses whether needs can be met within a country before deciding to respond. To date there has been no specific funding request to DFID relating to the terrible events in Beslan, largely because needs seem to have been adequately met by resources within the country. Indeed, agencies such as the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation, the United Nations Children Fund and the Red Cross who responded to needs in Beslan, have recently received support from DFID for their programme in the region.
	DFID has a long-standing programme of humanitarian assistance in the North Caucasus. Last year DFID channelled approximately £3.5 million largely through United Nations agencies and the International Confederation of the Red Cross to meet immediate humanitarian and protection needs.

Burma

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions he has had with the International Labour Organisation about breaches of its standards by the Government of Burma.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The UK plays an active part in the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and fully supports its efforts to end the use of forced labour in Burma. DFID's embassy in Rangoon maintains regular contact with the ILO liaison office there. The EU has repeatedly condemned Burma's lack of progress on forced labour, most recently on 5 June, at the International Labour Conference in Geneva. The EU issued a statement at the ILO's Governing Body in March. The ILO will consider what progress Burma has made at its Governing Body meeting in November.

CDC/Actis Capital

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether CDC investments qualify as bilateral aid.

Hilary Benn: I confirm that CDC investments still qualify as bilateral aid and full details of these investments are set out in Table 7 of Statistics on International Development, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Buildings (Lost and Stolen Property)

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the items that his Department has reported to the police as lost or stolen from his Department's buildings or property in the United Kingdom and overseas since 1997.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The number of items reported lost or stolen to the police in the UK and overseas is as set out. Information for 1997 is not readily available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Item Quantity 
		
		
			 1998 Laptop 1 
			 1998 Computers 10 
			 1998 Laptop 1 
			 2000 Vehicle 1 
			 2001 Telephones 3 
			 2001 Colour printer 1 
			 2001 Laser printers 2 
			 2001 Scanners 2 
			 2001 Fax machine 1 
			 2001 Laptop 1 
			 2001 Vehicle 1 
			 2002 Video camera 1 
			 2002 Vehicle 1 
			 2002 Vehicle 1 
			 2002 Laptop 1 
			 2002 Laptops 2 
			 2002 Vehicle 1 
			 2002 Laptop 1 
			 2002 Laptop 1 
			 2002 Digital camera 1 
			 2002 Laptop and projector 1 
			 2002 Building materials — 
			 2002 Laptop and projector 1 
			 2003 Laptop 1 
			 2003 Laptops 3 
			 2003 Laptop 1 
			 2003 Laptop 1 
			 2004 Laptop 1 
			 2004 Laptop 1 
			 2004 Digital camera 1

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on replacing light bulbs in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on energy efficiency in his Department's buildings in the UK and overseas.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID spent £4,311 in its London offices on replacement light bulbs during 2003–04. No information is available for our East Kilbride offices, as it is currently being refurbished and the lighting system is therefore being replaced. Information on expenditure on light bulbs in our overseas offices is not centrally available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	DFID is committed to implementing the standards set out in the Government's Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. The recent refurbishments of our UK offices have given us the opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of our buildings, for instance with installation of Building Management Systems which allow us to monitor and manage energy usage to a much greater extent than in the past.
	The design for the refurbishment of our East Kilbride office has received an "excellent" rating under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM); for instance, DFID has installed energy efficient heating systems, and also lighting systems which are movement sensitive and take account of natural lighting levels. Through our green awareness programme DFID is encouraging overseas offices to consider the implementation of similar energy efficiency measures wherever appropriate.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much money his Department has spent on (a) opinion polling and (b) focus groups in each year since 1997.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In 1998, DFID commissioned Opinion Leader Research (OLR) to undertake baseline focus group research among the UK public. In 2003, DFID commissioned OLR to undertake further focus group research to explore ways of increasing understanding and support for international development in the UK. DFID also commissions two annual opinion polls on public attitudes to development. One poll, undertaken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), monitors the opinion of the UK adult population, and the second, undertaken by Market and Opinion Research International (MORI), monitors the opinion of schoolchildren. In 1999, we also undertook a readership survey of "Developments" magazine, in order to test its impact and reach. The results of the focus group research and the opinion polls are used to inform, and monitor the impact of, our work on development awareness and education.
	The annual cost of focus group research and opinion polls is detailed in the following table:
	
		
			 Year Focus groups Cost (£) Opinion polls Cost (£) Total (£) 
		
		
			 1997–98 OLR Baseline Study 43,000 — — 43,000 
			   
			 1998–99 — — — — — 
			   
			 1999–2000 — — ONS Poll 28,200  
			  — — MORI Poll 14,700 44,704 
			  — — Developments Survey 1,804  
			   
			 2000–01 — — ONS Poll 33,000  
			  — — MORI Poll 14,629 47,629 
			 2001–02 — — ONS Poll 34,300  
			  — — MORI Poll 11,515 45,815 
			   
			 2002–03 — — ONS Poll 31,880  
			  — — MORI Poll 11,515 43,395 
			   
			 2003–04 OLR Research 50,309 ONS Poll 32,990  
			  — — MORI Poll 12,220 95,519 
			   
			 2004–05 OLR Research — ONS Poll 36,120 To be confirmed 
			  — — MORI Poll To be agreed To be confirmed

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the equivalent monetary cost of theft from his Department was in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) United Kingdom locations and (b) overseas offices.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The cost to DFID, in pounds, of items reported stolen is as set out. Information for 1997 is not readily available and could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	
		£
		
			  United Kingdom Overseas 
		
		
			 1998 3,111 16,357 
			 1999 0 0 
			 2000 111 24,319 
			 2001 203 6,472 
			 2002 10,595 29,797 
			 2003 10 2,674 
			 2004 0 2,192

Departmental Mobile Phones

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many mobile phones owned by his Department have been reported lost or stolen since 1997.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Within the Department for International Development, 28 mobile phones have been reported lost or stolen since 1997.

Departmental Satellite and Cable Subscriptions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the cost was of satellite and cable subscriptions in his Department's buildings in the UK and overseas in each year since 1997; and if he will list the premium channels to which his Department subscribes.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID subscribes to the Parliamentary TV System to allow access to the Parliamentary Annunciator System, the Division Bell and Commons and Lords TV channels in the UK. Other services and channels are included in the package: these are selected by the Information Committee of the Houses of Parliament. The annual costs of the subscription since 1997 are given in the table.
	
		£
		
			  Amount 
		
		
			 1997 (11)— 
			 1998 19,770 
			 1999 19,770 
			 2000 (12)20,500 
			 2001 (12)20,500 
			 2002 20,500 
			 2003 23,059 
		
	
	(11) No figures are available.
	(12) Estimated figure.
	DFID has no other cable and satellite subscriptions in the UK and there is no central provision of cable and satellite services to overseas offices. Information about any local purchases overseas could not be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Infant Mortality Rate

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of global infant mortality he estimates results from unsafe water and sanitation; and how this is taken into account in the design of the programmes funded by his Department in pursuit of the Millennium Development Goal to reduce the under-five mortality rate.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: UN data on infant mortality are not routinely disaggregated by cause of death. It is estimated, however, that diarrhoea causes more than 1.5 million child deaths each year, constituting about 15 per cent. of under-five deaths. Childhood diarrhoea is closely associated with insufficient water, inadequate sanitation, contaminated water and poor hygiene practices.
	The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are strongly inter-dependent and DFID programme interventions include strict controls over appraisal and design to reflect this. DFID's Water Action Plan, published in March 2004, sets out DFID's priorities for the integrated provision of safe water, sanitation and hygiene promotion at national, regional and international levels. Significant progress to reduce childhood deaths from diarrhoea requires increased coverage of both preventative interventions and curative, such as the provision of effective health care (including oral re-hydration therapy and drug treatments).

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on responsibility for the management of the Development Fund for Iraq.

Hilary Benn: Under the United Nations Security Council resolution 1546 (8 June 2004) resources in the Development Fund for Iraq (DFI) are managed and disbursed solely at the discretion of the Interim Iraqi Government. The International Advisory and Monitoring Board (IAMB) continues its work as an audit oversight body for the DFI. The IAMB oversees audits conducted by international accounting firms of (i) oil export sales, (ii) the accounting for the proceeds from oil export sales, (iii) the DFI financial statements, and (iv) the disbursement procedures for DFI resources.
	In March 2004 the IAMB approved the Coalition Provisional Authority's appointment of KPMG to conduct audits in two stages: first for DFI activities up to the end of December 2003, which reported on 15 July; and second for the six months to 28 June 2004, on which KPMG expects to report in early October 2004. As with the first stage audit reports, the IAMB will make the reports of the second stage available on its website (http://www.iamb.info).
	Oil export sales and DFI operations after 28 June 2004 will be examined by external auditors to be appointed by the Government of Iraq. The IAMB will work with the Government of Iraq to ensure the early appointment of appropriately qualified external auditors.

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the current levels of (a) water and (b) electricity provision in Iraq are; and what the targets for improvement in the next 12 months are.

Hilary Benn: Estimates suggest that immediately after the 2003 conflict, 60 per cent. of urban and 30 per cent. of rural populations had access to safe water. In October 2003, the United Nations and World Bank's Needs Assessment of Iraq proposed a 2007 target of increasing water access in urban areas by 30 per cent., and in rural areas by 45 per cent., from immediate post-conflict levels. Considerable work has taken place since May 2003 to improve the quantity, quality and reliability of water supplies.
	In Basra the water supply situation remains difficult but is now better than before the 2003 conflict. Informal estimates by the former Coalition Provisional Authority (South) indicated that, in the south, coverage increased by 10 per cent. to 15 per cent. from May 2003 to July 2004. Major infrastructure work which is mainly US funded is planned over the next year. United Nations agencies are providing up to 800,000 litres of drinking water per day to vulnerable groups and inhabitants of rural areas. Drinking water is also sold by bottle or tanker. The restoration of 14 Basra Governorate water treatment plants is on schedule for completion by the end of October 2004.
	In Baghdad, civil engineering work has now been completed at three wastewater treatment plants. The UN is operating water tankers and supplying water purification tablets to meet shortfalls. Water specialists from the USA are working with local government officials in Baghdad Municipality's water department to improve water treatment throughout the city.
	The supply of electricity in Iraq has improved since May 2003. Production now averages 4,750 MW, compared with the pre-conflict level of 4,400 MW. Most of Iraq is now receiving between nine and 15 hours of electricity daily.
	Significant programmes of long-term rehabilitation of electrical infrastructure are being undertaken alongside planning for the expansion of generating capacity with new plants. However, security problems continue to slow the progress of reconstruction and make precise forecasting difficult. The Interim Iraqi Government has set a target of 6,000 MW by the end of 2004. The United Nations and World Bank's Needs Assessment proposed a target of 8,760 MW by 2007.

Iraq

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much funding his Department has allocated to the Adam Smith Institute for work in relation to the reconstruction of Iraq; what the nature of the work is; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: DFID has not allocated any funding to the Adam Smith Institute for work in relation to the reconstruction of Iraq.
	DFID has contracted the consultants Adam Smith International Ltd. (ASIL) to provide services to assist with reconstruction in Iraq as follows:
	
		
			 Programme Contract cost (£) Programme details 
		
		
			 Emergency Public Administration Programme (EPAP) 3,181,205 This programme provides capacity building support to the Iraq public administration. Activities include the provision of long and short-term technical advice, support and training to key central ministries, to enable them to begin the process of re-establishing effective and accountable government in Iraq 
			 Technical Support to the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) South 491,406 Provision of technical experts to the former Coalition Provisional Authority in southern Iraq in the areas of economic reform and justice. This work completed on 28 June following the handover of sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government 
			 Total 3,672,611

Pakistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department is providing to Pakistan for the reform of its education system.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has made a significant contribution to the reform of Pakistan's education system. During 2003–04, DFID spent £2.2 million on a number of initiatives, including support to the National Education Assessment System, a programme that assessed children's performance nationally and informed education policy. DFID also supported the North West Frontier Province Education Programme, the Northern Areas Education Programme, Sindh Primary Education Project and the Punjab Middle Schooling Project. These programmes have supported the Government of Pakistan to improve the decentralised management of human and financial resources for education, as well as strengthening teacher training for primary education, with particular emphasis on education for girls.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Housing

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households were living in temporary accommodation in the Tamworth constituency in each year since 1997; and how many of those households included dependent children.

Keith Hill: Information is not collected at constituency level, only at local authority level. A summary of information reported by Tamworth district council about the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation as at 31 March of each year since 1997 is tabled as follows. The number of households in temporary accommodation containing dependent children or expectant mothers has been collected only since March 2002.
	
		Households in temporary accommodation(13) arranged by Tamworth district council, as at 31 March
		
			  Total households Of which: with dependent children(14) 
		
		
			 1997 109 n/a 
			 1998 83 n/a 
			 1999 88 n/a 
			 2000 92 n/a 
			 2001 105 n/a 
			 2002 94 90 
			 2003 83 75 
			 2004 not reported not reported 
		
	
	(13) Households in temporary accommodation arranged by the local authority pending inquiries, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
	(14) Includes expectant mothers. Data collected only since March 2002.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly).

Indices of Deprivation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the electoral wards under which each Super Output Area in the Indices of Deprivation 2004 falls.

Phil Hope: There are 32,000 Super Output Areas and this is too large to send in this format. I have contacted the Office for National Statistics and it will arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy of these on CD format.

Local Government

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many ballots there have been to set up (a) parish and (b) town councils in each of the last three years; and what the result was in each case.

Nick Raynsford: In accordance with the provisions set out in the Local Government and Rating Act 1997, the Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister may by Order create parish and town councils following petitions from electors in the area of the proposed parish which are presented to principal local authorities. Where parishes are created, they come into existence on the 1 April of the year following the Order being made. The following table shows for each year since 1 April 2000 the outcome of petitions received from principal local authorities in that year or before.
	
		
			 Principal authority Area(s) which petitioned for parish status Outcome 
		
		
			 2000–01   
			 Ashfield Hucknall Declined 
			 Bromsgrove Lickey End One new parish created 
			 Harlow Church Langley Declined 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne Blakelaw and North Fenham One new parish created 
			 Nottingham Wollaton Declined 
			 Restormel St. Austell Declined 
			 St. Edmunsbury Brackland Considered by district review but declined 
			 Wyre Forest Kidderminster Declined 
			 Total Two parishes created 
			
			 2001–02   
			 Basildon Noak Bridge One new parish created 
			 Bradford Keighley One new parish created 
			 Bradford Oakworth Declined 
			 Burnley Padiham One new parish created 
			 Brentwood West Hornden Herongate and Ingrave Two new parishes created 
			 Dudley Stourbridge Invalid petition 
			 Leeds MBC Shadwell One new parish created 
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme Silverdale One new parish created 
			 North West Leicestershire District Council Ellistown and Battleflat One new parish created 
			 Stockport MBC Offerton Estate One new parish created 
			 Warwick Royal Leamington Spa One new parish created 
			 Total 10 parishes created 
			
			 2002–03   
			 North East Lincolnshire Great Coates One new parish created 
			 Wear Valley West Auckland One new parish created 
			 Total Two parishes created 
			
			 2003–04   
			 Bedford Brickhill One new parish created 
			 Bradford Clayton  
			  Sandy Lane Four new parishes created 
			  Wilsden  
			  Wrose  
			
			 Leeds Drighlington  
			  Gildersome Three new parishes created 
			  Kippax  
			
			 Sefton Formby One new parish created 
			 Shepway Folkestone Two new parishes created 
			  Sandgate  
			 Total 11 parishes created 
			
			 2004–05   
			 Fylde Saint Anne's on the Sea One new parish created 
			 Total so far 1 parish created

Local Government

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what opportunities there will be for parish and town councils in his 10-year vision for local government.

Nick Raynsford: The vision for local government sees an important role for citizen engagement and participation so that they have greater influence over the delivery of public services. There are a variety of possible models to give communities a stronger voice at local level, one of which is through parish and town councils. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to issue a discussion document looking at the issue of citizen engagement, including the role of parish and town councils, later this year.

Local Government Pensions

Jim Cousins: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proposals he has (a) to protect the interests of staff over the age of 40 and (b) for a transitional scheme, in changes to the local government pension scheme.

Phil Hope: The proposals to amend the Local Government Pension Scheme, on which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister consulted earlier this year, are planned to come into effect in April 2005. They fully protect all members rights accrued up to that time. Those members who reach 60 years or over by 31 March 2013, and whose age and membership of the Scheme when added total 85, will also continue to accrue membership to that date on the same basis as they did prior to April 2005. In these circumstances, further transitional arrangements are not required.

Park Homes (Fire Safety)

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will make it his policy to require all park home sites to provide individual fire protection for each residence rather than communal fire points;
	(2)  what regulations there are regarding fire protection on park home sites; and what plans he has to amend these.

Keith Hill: The relevant statute for the licensing and control of residential park homes is the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960. Section 5 of the 1960 Act provides local authorities with the power to regulate fire precautions on park home sites, by enabling the local authority to impose conditions on the site licences issued to site owners. The Act enables the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister to issue model standards. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has exercised this power most recently in 1989, in Circular 14/89: "Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960—Model Standards". The model standards represent the standards that are normally expected as a matter of good practice on sites for residential mobile homes or static holiday caravans, or both. The local authority must have regard to the model standards in issuing or reviewing the conditions of a site licence. In addition, the Act provides that a local authority is required to consult with the fire authority for the park as to the extent to which the model standards relating to the fire precautions are appropriate to the land. Ultimately, it is up to the local authority on what conditions they apply to site licences. As part of the on-going park home reform, the model standards are currently being revised and an informal consultation is taking place with stakeholders and a formal consultation paper will be published in the summer of 2005.
	Currently it is not expected that this revision will require individual fire protection for each residence.

Park Homes (Fire Safety)

Bob Spink: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the councils and fire authorities which require individual fire extinguishers for park home residences rather than fire points within 30 metres of each residence; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: This information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. There are no powers for the Fire Safety Service to require the information.
	Section 5 of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 gives local authorities the responsibility for the regulation of fire precautions on park home sites, by enabling the local authority to impose conditions on the park homes site licences the authority issues. The local authority must have regard to Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's model standards in issuing or reviewing the conditions of a site licence. In addition, the Act provides that a local authority is required to consult with the fire authority for the park as to the extent to which the model standards relating to the fire precautions are appropriate to the land, and if the conditions (if any) are found to be unsuitable, the local authority must consult with the fire authority about the conditions that ought to be attached to the licence instead. Ultimately though, it is matter for the local authority to decide upon the appropriate conditions to apply to site licences and there is no requirement that information about a site licence is provided to central Government.
	A local authority has the power to enter a site and monitor the upkeep of site licensing conditions.

Regional Observatories

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2004, Official Report, columns 742–44W, from the Deputy Prime Minister, which Government Department has responsibility for overseeing the expenditure of the regional observatories.

Phil Hope: Regional observatories are voluntary partnerships formed in the regions. Central Government does not oversee their expenditure.

Supporting People Programme

Derek Conway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the level of Supporting People programme grants are for each London borough.

Keith Hill: The Supporting People programme grant for each of the London boroughs for 2004–05 was:
	
		
			 London borough Supporting People programme grant 2004–05 (£) 
		
		
			 Barking and Dagenham 4,997,640 
			 Barnet 7,490,089 
			 Bexley 2,777,648 
			 Brent 13,723,511 
			 Bromley 5,645,494 
			 Camden 39,696,525 
			 City of London 741,115 
			 Croydon 8,881,039 
			 Ealing 11,643,789 
			 Enfield 11,849,724 
			 Greenwich 9,505,899 
			 Hackney 24,114,767 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 13,932,752 
			 Haringey 23,323,001 
			 Harrow 3,624,556 
			 Havering 2,550,490 
			 Hillingdon 6,239,503 
			 Hounslow 5,614,200 
			 Islington 16,551,521 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 12,205,258 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 4,720,995 
			 Lambeth 22,112,120 
			 Lewisham 18,452,195 
			 Merton 3,523,216 
			 Newham 11,272,635 
			 Redbridge 4,394,844 
			 Richmond-upon-Thames 3,015,294 
			 Southwark 20,108,613 
			 Sutton 3,833,837 
			 Tower Hamlets 15,732,633 
			 Waltham Forest 7,967,877 
			 Wandsworth 11,860,631 
			 Westminster 18,250,145

Telecommunications Masts

Derek Conway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he will implement the recommendations of the Stewart Report, section 1:36 within planning policy guidance note 8.

Keith Hill: Section 1:36 of the Stewart Report recommends that telecommunication development should be subject to the normal planning process. The Stewart Report made this recommendation in order to improve local consultation. The arrangements the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister put in place following the Stewart Report provide for the same consultation on mobile phone masts up to 15 m in height as is required by full planning permission.

Telecommunications Masts

Derek Conway: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from local planning authorities on the recommendations of the Stewart Report on permitted development of masts at 15 metres or below.

Keith Hill: Since the publication of the revised Planning Policy Guidance Note 8: Telecommunications in August 2001 10 local planning authorities have made representations about the Government's response to the recommendation of the Stewart Report on permitted development of masts up to 15 metres in height.

Telecommunications Masts

Richard Shepherd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether, in the light of the recent statement by Sir William Stewart, Chairman of the Health Protection Agency and the National Radiation Protection Board on whether Tetra had any harmful effects, he plans to remove the permitted development rights granted to licensed telecommunications operators under the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (Part 24 of Schedule 2).

Keith Hill: The Government currently have no plans to remove the permitted development rights granted to licensed telecommunications operators under Part 24 of the "Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995".
	The National Radiological Protection Board's (NRPB) independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) published a report on "Possible Health Effects from Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA)" in 2001. The report noted that the signals from TETRA base stations, like their mobile phone counterparts, are not pulsed. NRPB advise that there is no reason to believe that signals from TETRA base stations should be treated differently from other base stations.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Renewable Energy

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on subsidies available for companies working to find and develop renewable energy sources.

Mike O'Brien: The Renewables Obligation is the key policy mechanism by which the Government are encouraging the growth necessary to reach the UK's renewable energy targets. It requires all licensed electricity suppliers in England and Wales to supply a specified and growing proportion of their electricity from renewables. Renewable energy is also exempt from the Climate Change Levy, a tax on commercial energy use.
	In addition the Government also provides a range of other support for industry-led research and development and demonstration projects for longer term renewables and low carbon energy generation technologies, through the DTI and the Carbon Trust. Further details can be found at http://www.dti. gov.uk/energy/renewables/index.shtml and http://www. thecarbontnist.co.uk/

Age Discrimination

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce legislation against age discrimination in the work place following the judgment in the case of Rutherford and Bentley v. Towncircle Ltd.; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: The Rutherford and Bentley case is not about age discrimination—it is about sex discrimination, and the Government welcomes the Court of Appeal judgment that UK legislation is not unlawful. The Government have undertaken public consultation on forthcoming age legislation, which will come into force in 2006, including proposals on upper age limits for unfair dismissal and statutory redundancy payments.

British Nuclear Group

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she received from BNFL its first near term work plans and its lifecycle baseline analysis for British Nuclear Group sites; and what procedure is in place for amendment to these planning documents.

Mike O'Brien: The first lifecycle baselines for British Nuclear Group sites were received on 30 September 2003. The first near term work plans for BNFL sites were received on 15 March 2004. Updating lifecycle baselines and near term work plans will be an annual process.

British Telecom (Service Obligations)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what powers she has to instruct BT to meet its obligations to customers who have a medical priority in the event of breakdown or disruption due to planned maintenance.

Mike O'Brien: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Business Link

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated administrative cost is of devolving Business Link services to the regions.

Nigel Griffiths: The combined estimated administrative cost to the Department of Trade and Industry and the Regional Development Agencies, of devolving the management of Business Link Operators to the Regional Development Agencies is less than £650,000.

Business Support Agencies

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how her Department measures the success of its business support agencies.

Nigel Griffiths: The common monitoring framework for all DTI business support product provision measures immediate benefits to assisted businesses, quality of service they receive and the process required to deliver a good service.
	All business support products will also be included in an annual Business Support Cross Product Monitoring Survey. The monitoring survey aims to measure the client experience and subsequent impact and effectiveness of each scheme.
	In addition DTI undertakes regular evaluations of the economic benefits of each its products and services and these are published on the DTI website.

Combined Heat and Power

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions the Sustainable Energy Policy Group ministerial committee has had in relation to the Combined Heat and Power Strategy;
	(2)  what discussions (a) the Sustainable Energy Policy Network (SEPN) Advisory Board, (b) the SEPN Programme Board and (c) the SEPN Strategy Group have had in relation to the Combined Heat and Power Strategy.

Mike O'Brien: The Sustainable Energy Policy Network (SEPN) Ministerial Committee, the SEPN programme board and SEPN strategy group regularly have wide ranging discussions on energy policy issues, including the contribution of Combined Heat and Power (CHP) to the objectives set out in the Energy White Paper.
	Minutes of the Sustainable Energy Policy Advisory Board's discussions can be found on the SEPN website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/structure.shtml_advisory. The CHP Strategy was not on the Board's agenda at the three meetings held since its creation in December 2003.

Corporate Venturing UK

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total funding is that has been given by her Department to support Corporate Venturing UK since it was launched.

Nigel Griffiths: The total funding provided by this Department to Corporate Venturing UK since its inception is £1,465,415.

Corporate Venturing UK

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her Department's proposed funding arrangements for Corporate Venturing UK.

Nigel Griffiths: The Department has no plans to provide further funding for Corporate Venturing UK.

Cybersquatting

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what statistics the Government collate on (a) incidences and (b) the cost to British business of cybersquatting on British companies and individuals.

Mike O'Brien: The Government do not run the internet and we do not have responsibility for internet domain names. Statistics for Top Level Domain names are held on the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organisation) Arbitration and Mediation Center website (www.arbiter.wipo.int/.domains/index.html). Since 1999 WIPO has recorded 554 instances of disputes for generic top level domain names (.int .com etc.) in which the complainant was domiciled in the UK.
	Nominet UK is responsible for .uk internet domain name registration. As of 31 August there were over 3.6 million .uk registrations in Nominet's register database. To date, Nominet has received 1,813 disputes into its Dispute Resolution Procedure since September 2001.
	Nominet's Dispute Resolution Procedure is free of charge and Nominet provides it's administrative and mediation services free. The domain name registry responsible for .com, .net etc. offer similar dispute resolution procedures; where they are administered by WIPO they are subject to fees as set out at (www.arbiter.wipo.int/domains/fees/index.html).

Cybersquatting

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards the practice of cybersquatting; and what steps the Government are taking to reduce cybersquatting.

Mike O'Brien: WIPO defines cybersquatting as the pre-emptive, bad faith registration of trademarks as domain names by third parties who do not possess rights in such names. Cyber squatters exploit the first come first served nature of the domain name registration system to register as domain names third parties' trademarks or business names of famous people as well as variations thereof. A common motive for cybersquatting is the intention to sell the domain name back to the trademark owner or to attract web traffic to unrelated commercial offers.
	The Government support the development of affordable alternative dispute resolution procedures by domain name registries.
	It is ICANN's (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers) responsibility to co-ordinate, at a global level, the internet domain name system. ICANN's board have adopted a Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy for all registrars serving the .com, .net, and .org domains.
	Nominet UK manages the database of .uk domain name registrations. Nominet have a Dispute Resolution Procedure developed in close consultation with UK stakeholders.

Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) Contract

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the consequences for (a) employment opportunities and (b) skills in the north-west of the award of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) contract to each of the current bidders.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 13 September 2004
	No assessment by DTI has been made of the UK employment implications related to either of the bidders for the MoD's Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) procurement.

European Directives (Environment)

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list each environment-related European Directive the implementation of which involves her Department; and what steps her Department is taking towards implementation in each case.

Mike O'Brien: This Department is involved in the implementation of all environment-related European Directives, because of their implications for business, but takes the lead on the following current measures:
	(a) The End-of-Live Vehicles (ELY) Directive (2000/53/EC). Implementation has been partially effected by the ELV Regulations 2003 (S.L 2003/2635), and will be completed by the forthcoming ELV (Producer Responsibility) Regulations, on which public consultation took place earlier this year.
	(b) The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2002/96/EC) and The Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive (2202/95/EC). Draft Regulations to transpose these Directives were published for consultation on 30 July 2004.
	(c) The Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (1994/62/EC). DTI has introduced Regulations (SI 2003/1941, amended by SI 2004/1188) relating to the essential requirements (composition and definition) of packaging and packaging waste.
	(d) The proposed Directive on Batteries and Accumulators and Spent Batteries and Accumulators (COM(2003)723 final). A first consultation, seeking stakeholder views on the proposed measure, has recently closed, and responses are being assessed.
	(e) The proposed Directive to amend the Whole Vehicle Type Approval Directive, specifying reusability, recyclability and recoverability standards for vehicle design (COM(2004) 162 final). Negotiations have not yet began on this proposal.

European Directives (Environment)

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many full-time equivalent staff have been assigned to work on each environment-related European Directive, the implementation of which involves her Department.

Mike O'Brien: The equivalent of 13 full-time executive, administrative economic, and legal staff have been assigned to work on all the range of environment-related European Directives on which DTI takes the lead in implementation.

Gas and Electricity Supply

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has had of increases imposed by Centrica gas suppliers on prices to domestic customers; what action she is taking to ensure greater diversity in generating electricity with greater use of coal; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: While gas retail prices are a commercial matter for the companies concerned, consumers are normally free to seek a better deal and can switch energy supplier. Although some gas suppliers have announced gas prices recently, even after these price rises the real price of domestic gas will be significantly lower than that seen over most of the last 30 years
	We are continuing to monitor developments regarding diversity in the electricity generation market e.g. through the Joint Energy Security of Supply Working Group (JESS) which consists of officials from Government, Ofgem and National Grid Transco.
	We recognise the value of coal fired generation, especially its ability to meet peaks in demand and cover supply intermittency. We believe it will have a continuing role in a diverse energy balance provided that its associated carbon emissions can be reduced through clean coal technologies. We plan to publish around the end of the year a Carbon Abatement Technologies Strategy aimed at supporting the development of low carbon technologies from fossil fuels such as coal.

MOX Plant (Sellafield)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much public money has been given to the MOX Plant at Sellafield in each year since 1990; what the projected sums are for future years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The construction and operation of the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) has been funded by BNFL from income from the company's commercial operations. No publicly voted money has been provided to the company.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), which will become operational from 1 April 2005, will assume full financial responsibility for the UK's civil public sector nuclear assets and liabilities.
	A number of BNFL's assets will transfer to the NDA in April 2005, including SMP. Money voted by Parliament intended for the clean up programme will not be used to subsidise commercial operations such as SMP.

MOX Plant (Sellafield)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much revenue was forecast to be generated by the MOX Plant at Sellafield at its inception in each year to 2004; what the outturn has been; what the projections are for future years; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Government commissioned an independent review of the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) economic case by Arthur D. Little in 2001. The consultants analysis in the report, stated that: "there is a robust economic case for proceeding with SMP" and that "the expected Net Present Value (NPV) of the national economic interest case for SMP is £216 million".
	Details of SMP annual revenues are commercially confidential. The recently published audited 2004 Annual Accounts for BNFL noted that the most recent financial forecasts for SMP, which are used both for economic appraisal and accounting for SMP contracts, has shown some deterioration from last year. This reflects recent difficulties in achieving production ramp up and BNFL's current best estimate of the future production profile.

MOX Plant (Sellafield)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which countries were expected to place orders with the MOX Plant at Sellafield at its inception; and how many have done so to date.

Mike O'Brien: The economic case for the Sellafield MOX Plant (SMP) presented to the Environment Agency in 1997 was based on MOX business from Japanese, German, Swiss and Swedish customers. To date, SMP has secured contracts from German, Swiss and Swedish customers plus commitments from Japanese customers. I understand from BNFL that the company is hopeful of securing Japanese MOX contracts in the future.

MOX Plant (Sellafield)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much profit the MOX plant at Sellafield is expected to make in its lifetime.

Mike O'Brien: This is a commercially confidential figure under Exemption 13—Third Party Commercial Confidences of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and the Government are working with BNFL to ensure that the best value for money is achieved for the taxpayer with respect to the operations of this plant.

Nuclear Decommissioning Authority

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made since December 2003 in respect of the consideration by the European Commission of details provided by the Government on the proposed financing of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.

Mike O'Brien: The European Commission is still considering the matter. We hope for a decision soon.

Nuclear Waste

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what response has been received from the European Commission following the plan presented by the United Kingdom on 1 June in respect of the nuclear waste storage silo B30 at Sellafield.

Mike O'Brien: As of 7 September, UK authorities had received no formal or substantive response from the Commission to the plan presented on 1 June in respect of B30 at Sellafield. The Commission has however issued a press release dated 3 September in which it states that it will refer the UK to the European Court of Justice. The UK remains keen to engage in a full and co-operative dialogue with the Commission aimed at satisfactorily resolving the remaining Euratom Treaty safeguards issues at the B30 plant.

Overhead Power Lines

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government has taken to evaluate the impact of new overhead power lines on the economy of communities reliant on tourism.

Mike O'Brien: This is one of a number of issues for Government to take into account when considering an individual application for consent to a particular proposal for a new overhead line. In Scotland it is for Scottish Ministers to take that decision.

Renewable Energy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many householders have taken advantage of the Clear Skies renewable energy grants scheme since the scheme started operating; and how much has been awarded in grants.

Mike O'Brien: Since the start of Clear Skies 4,204 household applications have been made with a total value of £2,489,050. Of these 3,939 have been accepted and 2,347 have been paid, with a total value of £1,297,050.

Renewable Energy

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on future plans for the Clear Skies renewable energy grants scheme.

Mike O'Brien: The Department is currently considering how best to allocate the recent Spending Review Settlement for sustainable energy. While the settlement was a good one in the context of a tight spending review, it unfortunately will not allow us to do everything.
	We are currently considering the case made by the industry to make a further extension to Clear Skies in the context of the overall funding made available for renewables and low carbon generation in SR2004.
	An announcement about continued funding will be made shortly.

Renewables Obligation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the timescale for the consultation on the renewables obligation.

Mike O'Brien: There are two separate consultations on the Renewables Operation under way at present.
	First, the Government launched a consultation on the terms of reference for the Review of the Renewables Obligation which will take place in 2005/06. The review will address the effectiveness of the Obligation to date, the future profile of the Obligation, its working arrangements and the transition to market over time for renewables technologies including taking account of support under the Obligation and the Emissions Trading Scheme. The consultation period on the terms of reference ends on 30 September. A preliminary consultation is planned for early next year followed by a statutory consultation of all stakeholders later in 2005 with a view to any necessary changes that can be made by secondary legislation taking effect from 1 April 2006.
	In addition, on 8 September the Government published a separate consultation paper on a number of limited changes to the Renewables Obligation to strengthen the development of electricity generation capacity using renewable energy sources in the UK. This is a more limited consultation concerning measures to:
	extend the profile of the Obligation to 2015/16;
	allow tradability between Northern Ireland Renewables Obligation Certificates (NIROCs) and GB ROCs;
	introduce measures that will further secure the buy-out fund in the event of a shortfall occurring;
	consider the introduction of a single recycling mechanism for the separate buy-out funds;
	introduce more flexibility for small generators.
	The period for this consultation ends on 1 December, and the Government plans to make any necessary changes to take effect from 1 April 2005.

Renewables Obligation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the calculation of the effectiveness of renewable obligations will include the operation of renewable obligation certificates.

Mike O'Brien: Yes. The operation of Renewables Obligation Certificates (ROCs) are an important element of the Renewables Obligation. The forthcoming review of the Renewables Obligation in 2005/06 will include, among other things, an assessment of the effectiveness of the operation of the ROCs market.

State Aid

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the levels of state aid to industry in other EU member states relative to the UK and of whether this results in unfair competition.

Mike O'Brien: The European Commission publishes regular reports on levels of state aid spending in member states, based on information which member states are required to provide, and the results are available on the Commission's website at: http:// europa.eu.int/comm/competition/state aid/scoreboard/
	EU rules on state aid provide a safeguard against any member state funding businesses in a way that will distort competition and trade within the single market. The Government sees this regime as essential in ensuring a level playing field for businesses across the EU, and we are committed to the objectives agreed at Lisbon and other European Councils of less and better targeted state aid.

Telephone Billing

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will require British Telecom to allow its competitors to offer a single telephone bill for its customers.

Mike O'Brien: The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to the hon. Member. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Tidal Energy

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to promote tidal energy; and what plans she has to increase investment in its further development.

Mike O'Brien: The main form of support for all renewable technologies is the Renewables Obligation (RO) which provides a stable and long term market for renewable electricity. Electricity generation from both wave and tidal stream technologies is eligible for the RO.
	However, these technologies are still at the developmental stage. Therefore the principal form of support to date has been through the DTI's Technology Programme that since 1997 has committed around £15 million towards the development of these technologies.
	On 2 August the Government announced a further £50 million funding primarily focused on supporting the UK's marine renewables industry through the next phase of development of these technologies, which includes small scale demonstration and pre-commercial stages.
	The Department is now working closely with the Carbon Trust, Scottish Executive and other stakeholders looking at mechanisms for applying the funding, subject to State Aid approval.

Tidal Energy

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the potential contribution to the UK's energy needs of tidal power.

Mike O'Brien: A study has been commissioned to provide a spatial quantification of renewable sources of energy—wave, tidal and offshore wind across the waters of the UK continental shelf. In addition to the spatial variation of these resources, temporal variations will also be assessed. This study (ATLAS) will assist in deciding which areas of the sea will next be subject to Strategic Environmental Assessment.
	The first stage of the study which has just been completed provides information on the energy levels with a resolution of about 12 km. The second stage will involve the conversion of the raw energy potential into the amount of energy presently available. It will also allow higher resolution in specific areas such as through main channels. The study is expected in the autumn and we intend to publish it.
	Additionally, there have been two previous studies1,2 which examined the potential tidal stream power resource in the UK. The later of those studies completed in 1996 under the EC JOULE-II energy research programme identified a total of 42 potential sites in UK waters with a combined annual output totalling some 31 TWh/yr which represents 8 per cent. of UK annual electricity demand in 2003.
	1 Tidal Stream Energy Review ETSU T/05/00155, 1993
	2 Marine Currents Energy Extraction: Resource Assessment, Final Report, EU-Joule contract JOU2-CT93–00355, 1995

Wind Farms

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates have been made of the costs of steel production in the construction of wind farms.

Stephen Timms: A typical 2 MW wind turbine weighs around 260 tonnes and approximately 95 per cent. of that by weight is steel. Installed costs of onshore wind turbines are around £700,000 per MW, of which the turbines can account for around 75 per cent., although this will depend on factors such as the cost of the foundations and grid connection etc. One a per tonne basis, steel costs even at current market prices would account for less than 10 per cent. of the cost of the turbine.
	However, the cost of the steel itself is not necessarily the driving cost fact in all components of the turbine. For example, the tower section of the turbine is a relatively simple structure and in this case the amount of steel used will be the primary cost factor. However, other sections such as the nacelle, which contain complex components such as the turbine generator etc, might account for 25–40 per cent. of weight and 25 per cent. of the cost of the turbine. Although steel is still the primary component by weight, other raw materials and the processes involved in making these complex components account for a more significant proportion to total costs.

Wind Farms

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the 50 MW threshold, above which she determines planning applications for wind farms, is based on the wind farm's theoretical maximum output, or its actual projected output.

Mike O'Brien: When looking at the capacity of a power station for the purposes of applications made under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, it is the rated capacity which counts. That is the capacity which can be generated by the station and fed through the alternators without causing damage to the alternators.

Wind Farms

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what constitutes a single wind farm for the purposes of planning applications; and whether there is a maximum distance between two clusters of turbines, beyond which they would be regarded as two wind farms.

Mike O'Brien: The Department is of the view that a wind farm could be considered as one where it used the same common services such as transmission cables, electricity sub-station and control room. If separate services were to be used then it would be two stand alone proposals and fall to be determined as two separate applications. While there is no maximum distance between each turbine the Department would expect the turbines to be spaced in such a manner that the distance between each turbine is the optimum for generation and satisfying environmental concerns.

Wind Farms

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates have been made of levels of carbon dioxide production as a result of building wind farms.

Mike O'Brien: A number of studies have estimated the overall environmental cost of building wind power generation based on energy payback or life cycle analysis. These calculations project the energy output as a ratio of energy required to build, maintain and decommission the power station.
	The average wind farm in the UK will pay back the energy used in its manufacture within three to five months, and over its lifetime a wind turbine will produce over 30 times more energy than was used in building, maintenance and decommissioning according to a study commissioned by the British Wind Energy Association.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on (a) the number of fighters serving with the militias in Afghanistan and (b) the arms available to them.

Adam Ingram: It is difficult to estimate accurately the number of fighters serving with militias in Afghanistan accurately, due to the difficulty of obtaining reliable intelligence reporting and the precise definition of what constitutes a militia fighter. Nevertheless, we estimate there to be around 50–60,000. They are predominantly armed with Soviet-era small arms and heavy weapons from the 1950s-1980s period.

Afghanistan

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with other members of NATO on the need for additional resources for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom strongly supports the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as an essential part of the international community's efforts to stabilize and rebuild Afghanistan. Our leadership of Stage 1 of ISAF expansion and our deployment of Harrier GR7 aircraft to support both ISAF and coalition operations are examples of this commitment. In this context, we routinely engage with our NATO allies to discuss what additional resources are needed to facilitate ISAF expansion.

Coastal Protection (Northern Ireland)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many coastal protection vessels have been deployed in Northern Ireland waters by the Royal Navy in each year since 1997; and which the vessels were.

Adam Ingram: During the period in question, four Royal Navy vessels were initially assigned to Northern Ireland patrol duties: HMS Itchen, HMS Blackwater, HMS Spey and HMS Arun. These ships were progressively withdrawn during 1998 and replaced by the current patrol ships HMS Cottesmore, HMS Dulverton and HMS Brecon which, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Hoon) on 21 July 2004, will be paid off by April 2007.

Departmental Budget

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department is planning to release its budget.

Adam Ingram: Details of the 2004–05 budget can be found at Table 1 of the current edition of the Ministry of Defence's 'Government Expenditure Plans 2004–05–2005–06' (Cm 6212).

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British service personnel worked as part of the team of the US military judge advocate in Iraq, Colonel Mark Warren.

Adam Ingram: One United Kingdom officer worked with Colonel Warren.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 July, 2004 Official Report, column 245W, on Iraq, how many enquiries by (a) civilian authorities and (b) military police resulted from these incidents; what the conclusions were; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Eight incidents that led to allegations against United Kingdom forces and compensation being paid to Iraqi people have been investigated by the Royal Military Police. Three concluded that no crime could be established and five have been referred to the relevant prosecuting service.

Iraq

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Iraqi detainees and prisoners of war were held by British forces in Iraq on 29 June.

Adam Ingram: There were no prisoners of war or detainees held by British forces in Iraq on 29 June. However, 49 internees were held.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a British officer was responsible for supervising Lieutenant-Colonel Steven Jordan during his time at Abu Ghraib in 2003 and 2004.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 September 2004
	No. At no time have United Kingdom officers had direct responsibility for supervising any of the US personnel posted to Abu Ghraib.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Colonels Campbell James and Chris Terrington were part of a joint reporting or command chain with the US army during their time in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 September 2004
	Colonel Terrington and his successor, Colonel Campbell-James were embedded within the C2 (Intelligence) Division of the US Combined Joint Task Force 7.

Iraq

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules govern (a) the handling of captured firearms and ammunition in Iraq, (b) the personal retention of captured weaponry and (c) selling such weapons; how many (i) officers and (ii) soldiers have been found in breach of such rules; how many have been subject to disciplinary action; and what sanctions have been applied.

Adam Ingram: In Iraq, all captured enemy ammunition is handled by qualified Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel, in accordance with the Ammunition and Explosive regulations and Joint Service Publication 482. Captured weapons are transferred to a central facility for destruction, repair, re-distribution to the Iraqi Security Forces, or when given approval, returned to owners. Personal retention of captured weapons is not permitted. In some cases, operational memorabilia is cleared for return to the UK for retention by the capturing units. Service Police conduct anti-smuggling checks on equipment, vehicles, containers and baggage transported back to the UK and service flights are subject to checks by HM Customs and Excise.
	As at 31 August 2004, a total of three service personnel had been reported by the Royal Military Police for possession of captured firearms from Iraq.

Iraq

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what instructions were made available to interrogators and other soldiers involved in the handling of prisoners in Iraq from March 2003 onwards in order to prevent European Convention on Human Rights violations under Article 3 occurring through each of the five techniques identified by the Court in 1978.

Adam Ingram: All UK armed forces personnel are instructed that Iraqi prisoners should be treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, which include the prohibition of torture. Each major unit also has a number of personnel trained to a greater degree in prisoner handling.
	All UK interrogators must successfully complete a stringent course prior to undertaking any operational interrogations. During the course they are specifically instructed that individuals being questioned must, again, be treated at all times in accordance with the Geneva Conventions.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence further to his statement of 7 January 2004, Official Report, column 139WH, on the case of Baha Musa, when he expects the investigation to be completed; whether its outcome will be placed in the public domain; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The investigation into the death of Baha Musa has concluded and the case is now being considered by the Army Prosecuting Authority. Any ensuing trial would be held in public.

Porton Down

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the relocation of Defence Science and Technology Laboratories facilities and personnel to Porton Down; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 September 2004
	Work to relocate Dstl facilities and personnel to Porton Down, has focused on the selection of a strategic partner who will provide the new facilities at Porton Down, and become the facilities management supplier to Dstl for 15 years from 2006.
	Four companies have now been short-listed to receive the invitation to tender (ITT), which is expected to be released towards the end of 2004. We hope that a preferred bidder will be appointed in autumn 2005.

RAF Croughton

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons UK forces at RAF Croughton, are not allowed access to Commissary and BX services run by the US.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 13 September 2004
	In accordance with the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement the US Visiting Force is permitted to
	"import free of duty the equipment for the force and reasonable quantities of provisions, supplies and other goods for the exclusive use of the force" (Article XI (4)).
	These provisions, supplies and other goods are made available through Army Air Force Exchange Services (Base Exchange—BX) and Defense Commissary Agency stores.
	Her Majesty's Customs and Excise regulations require the United States Visiting Force to refrain from selling goods imported or purchased tax and/or duty free to any persons other than members of the US Force, its civilian component and their dependants.

RAF Croughton

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision comparable to the Commissary and BX service available to US forces at RAF Croughton, exists for UK forces.

Adam Ingram: holding 13 September 2004
	RAF Croughton is made available to the United States Visiting Force under the terms of the NATO Status of Forces Agreement 1951. The United Kingdom forces are not stationed at RAF Croughton and there is, therefore, no need to provide facilities comparable to the US Commissary and BX service.

Warrior

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the propensity of the Warrior to engage in (a) undemanded firing of weapons and (b) other actions attributable to design faults in the electrical and safety systems.

Adam Ingram: Technical investigations have been carried out since 1999, following a small number of reported incidents involving the undemanded firing of the Warrior chain gun. The investigations concluded that there is a very low risk of the undemanded firing of the chain gun or main armament. A Post Design Service task is currently in progress with the Design Authority to explore whether any design changes may be justified. In addition, a safety notice has been issued to the Warrior user community informing them of the problem, to ensure the continued safe operation of the vehicle.
	Two other technical investigations into the undemanded power traverse of the turret and undemanded operation of the rear door have also been carried out. Solutions to address both these problems are also being pursued by the Design Authorities. A modification programme to prevent the undemanded power traverse of the turret is due to commence this month.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Bangladesh

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the recent attempt to assassinate Sheikh Hasina, the parliamentary opposition leader in Bangladesh.

Douglas Alexander: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary said in his press statement of 22 August, we were shocked to hear of the bombings in Dhaka on 21 August and the many deaths and injuries they caused. A copy of the statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk/news/policy/press-releases. We extend our sympathies to all those injured, and to the families of the victims. We condemn these bombings and call on all concerned to refrain from further violence, and to exercise restraint. We welcome the Bangladeshi Prime Minister's public expression of determination to see those responsible brought to justice, and hope that this can be done through an investigation process in which all parties, and the public, can have confidence.

Departmental Pamphlets

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the cost was of printing his Department's pamphlet, "Inclusive Government: mainstreaming gender into foreign policy"; and how many pamphlets were printed.

Jack Straw: The printing cost of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's booklet "Inclusive Government: mainstreaming gender into foreign policy" was £2,730. We printed 3,000 copies.

Designated Accommodation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many rooms are set aside for (a) the use of smokers, (b) worship, broken down by religion and (c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which his Department is responsible.

Bill Rammell: On the Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK estate, there are:
	No rooms are set aside specifically for the use of smokers; there are, however, licensed bars at the Main Building in London and at Hanslope Park in which smoking is permitted in designated areas.
	Two rooms are set aside for worship, one in the FCO Main Building in Whitehall and the second at Hanslope Park—both rooms are designated as Multi-Faith. In the Old Admiralty Building (OAB) there are no rooms set aside solely for worship although two meeting rooms have been identified which may be used for multi-faith worship if not being used for their primary purpose.
	No rooms are specifically set aside for nursing mothers and pregnant women, although First Aid Rooms in the Main Building, OAB and Hanslope Park may be used if desired.

European Union (Cost-Benefit Analysis)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what date the Government last undertook a cost-benefit analysis of United Kingdom membership of the European Union, including (a) indirect costs and benefits and (b) direct costs and benefits.

Denis MacShane: UK membership of the European Union is vital for British jobs and prosperity. There is broad consensus among academics that UK membership of the European Union promotes growth, competitiveness and employment through the operation of the internal market. Our trade with Europe accounts for 3 million British jobs. 53 per cent. of our total imports of goods and services are from Europe. 50 per cent. of our total exports of goods and services go to Europe. And 65 per cent. of our investment overseas now goes to Europe.
	The Government continually consider the direct and indirect costs and benefits of specific EU legislative proposals, in the context of ongoing European policy development.

Ewa Jasiewicz

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli Government regarding the detention of Ewa Jasiewicz; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We were informed of Ms Jasiewicz's detention on 12 August when she called our embassy in Tel Aviv to report that she had been refused entry. Following legal appeals and counter-appeals by Ms Jasiewicz and the Israeli authorities, we understand that Ms Jasiewicz returned to the UK on 1 September. The issue of entry and exit to Israel is a matter for the Israeli authorities. However, our ambassador in Tel Aviv has recently written to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise our concerns over the treatment of British journalists and representatives of British media organisations.

Iran

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear weapons programme.

Denis MacShane: Discussions between senior officials have taken place during the summer. A further report on Iran's nuclear programme by the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be discussed at the meeting of the Agency's Board of Governors, which began on 13 September.

Iran

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Iran about the Bushehr nuclear plant.

Denis MacShane: Discussions with Iran, relating to its' nuclear programme, have taken place between senior officials during the summer. There has been no recent ministerial discussion with the Iranian Government on this subject.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the political parties registered for elections in Iraq; and if he will break them down by (a) religious and (b) ethnic affiliations.

Bill Rammell: The timetable for the organisation of the elections has not yet reached the stage of registration. The Independent Electoral Commission for Iraq timetable foresees registration taking place in November. We anticipate that a broad range of political forces and independent candidates will take part in the elections.

Iraq

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department is giving to the preparation of women candidates for parliamentary elections in Iraq.

Bill Rammell: This Government will make every effort to assist the holding of representative elections in Iraq in January next year, including helping implement the provision in the Transitional Administrative Law that calls for a target of 25 per cent. representation in the Transitional National Assembly by women. The stipulation in the electoral law that every third candidate on election lists should be female bodes well in this regard.
	The Department for International Development, through its Political Participation Programme which is being administered by the British Council, is spending £5 million on helping Iraqi women's organisations participate in the elections.

Laos

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what representations he has made to the Government of Laos concerning the arrest of four Christians in Kasy District in Vientiane province on 2 August;
	(2)  what representations he has made to the Government of Laos concerning the intimidation of Christians by the authorities in parts of Laos in recent months, including in Nam Thuam village, Vieng Samay village and Hua Muang village; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  by what methods the British Government monitor abuses of religious freedom in Laos; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: We are aware of reports of the mistreatment of Christians in Laos. Our embassy in Bangkok (which is accredited to Laos) monitors the situation. Although Lao people are officially free to worship, they may not preach in public. The Lao authorities themselves acknowledge incidents where officials have not permitted freedom of worship for Christians. We understand, however, there has been some limited progress, with a number of churches being allowed to re-open and an overall drop in the number of believers detained.
	Our contacts with the Laos authorities are very limited. We are not therefore able to confirm individual reports, nor to raise individual cases on a regular basis. Ministers and officials have, however, raised our concerns over freedom of religion on a number of occasions, both in bilateral contacts and through the European Union. Most recently, on 18 June, our ambassador to Thailand raised the persecution of Christians with Deputy Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha.
	We will continue to raise our concerns with the Lao Government when opportunities arise; and to encourage it to implement recent reforms on religious freedom.

Maldives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the treatment of political prisoners in the Maldives.

Douglas Alexander: We remain concerned about prisoners detained without charge in the Maldives, and raise this regularly with the Maldivian authorities. Our Acting High Commissioner recently discussed this issue with the Maldivian Attorney General, and on 6 September was part of an EU delegation which met the Maldivian Minister of Foreign Affairs. The EU delegation called upon the Maldivian government to immediately repeal the state of emergency and restore all fundamental rights to the detainees. We welcome the steps taken by the Maldivian Government to enter into an agreement with the International Committee of the Red Cross on prison monitoring, and look forward to the early conclusion of such an agreement.

Maldives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in the Maldives.

Douglas Alexander: In December 2003, the Maldives established a Human Rights Commission (HRC) to protect, promote and preserve human rights. However the bill that would give the HRC the necessary legal power has not been passed, and we continue to have concerns, including about freedom of expression and association, and detention without charge. Following the arrests of nearly 200 people, including Special Majlis MPs, during and after the demonstrations of 12 and 13 August, we and EU partners called on the Maldivian authorities to repeal the state of emergency and restore fundamental rights to those detained. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Rammell) reiterated our support for the President's reform proposals, and stressed the importance of ensuring that the Special Majlis, and the people of the Maldives are free to discuss constitutional change, during a meeting on 25 August with the Maldivian Special Envoy.

NATO Russia Council

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to develop the NATO-Russia Council as a tool in the war against terrorism.

Denis MacShane: The struggle against terrorism was one of the drivers behind the foundation of the NATO-Russia Council in 2002. On 7 September the NATO-Russia Council issued a statement condemning the recent atrocities in Russia and undertaking to intensify common efforts against this shared threat, including working on measures to allow Russian naval forces to join allied units in NATO's maritime interdiction force in the Mediterranean.

Nicholas Baker

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 12 February 2004, Official Report, column 1656W, on Nicholas Baker, what progress has been made in the case of Mr. Nicholas Baker; what discussions on the case the Department has had with the Japanese Government over the last four months; and what further steps have been taken.

Chris Mullin: Mr. Baker's appeal is currently ongoing in the Japanese Courts.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has discussed Mr. Baker's case with the Japanese authorities on a number of occasions over the last four months, at both ministerial and official level, most recently in August.
	We will continue to raise Mr. Baker's case with the Japanese authorities at every appropriate opportunity. We remain in touch with Mr. Baker and his family about his case and will inform them immediately of any developments.

Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy to publish annually the number of interceptions of communications he approves under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.

Jack Straw: No. The Annual Reports of the independent Interception of Communications Commissioner publish the numbers of interception warrants issued by my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and the First Minister in Scotland. In line with longstanding policy, endorsed by successive Interception Commissioners, the figures for warrants issued by the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland are not published. The reasons are explained in the latest Annual Report published on 22 July 2004 (HC883).

Sudan

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he first received reports of Janjaweed activity in Darfur; when he first raised the question of Janjaweed activities in Darfur with his counterpart in Khartoum; what assurances were then sought; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: Attempts by the Government of Sudan to recruit militias, as part of their response to the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) uprising, was first reported on 12 May 2003. The term "Janjaweed" was first used by the British Government on 8 September 2003, following its use at negotiations in Abeche. However, different groups use the term rather loosely to mean different things. The Government of Sudan understand it to mean "bandits"; whereas displaced persons will use it for almost any armed Arab on horseback.
	We have been raising with the Government of Sudan their response to the SLA since May 2003. In May of this year the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs visited London. During his visit my right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of State for International Development and I all raised the need for the Sudanese Government to disarm the militias and protect their civilians from the human rights atrocities that have been taking place. When the Foreign Secretary travelled to Khartoum and Darfur at the end of August he re-iterated this need to both the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Sudanese President.

Sudan

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions concerning the situation in Darfur his Department has had with officials from (a) the Sudanese embassy in London and (b) Sudanese Government officials in Khartoum between 22 July and 7 September; and on what dates, and where, these discussions took place.

Jack Straw: We are in regular touch with the Sudanese authorities, both through our embassy in Khartoum and the joint Department for International Development/Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sudan Unit in London. During the period specified, the main contacts included:
	26 July—the British ambassador in Khartoum met Naguib El Kheir, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.
	29 July—the UK Special Representative for Sudan met the Sudanese ambassador in London.
	2–3 August—the UK Special Representative for Sudan visited Sudan. Those he met included Saddiq al Mahdi (Umma Party), Yahya Hussein (Minister at the Presidency), Mohamed Yousef (Minister of Humanitarian Affairs), Qutbi Al Mahdi (Presidential Political Adviser), Mustafa Ismail (Foreign Minister).
	6 August—the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Africa Director met the Sudanese ambassador in London.
	12 August—the UK Charge d'Affaires in Khartoum attended the UN/Government of Sudan Joint Implementation Mechanism with Jan Pronk, UN Secretary General's Special Representative (UNSR) and EU ambassadors and Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismael, the Sudanese Foreign Minister and his team.
	16 August—the UK Charge d'Affaires in Khartoum met Dr. Awad El Jaz, the Sudanese Minister of Energy and Mining
	18 August—the UK Charge d'Affaires in Khartoum attended a meeting at the Foreign Ministry with the International Organisation for Migration Mission
	19 August—the UK Charge d'Affaires in Khartoum attended the Joint Implementation Mechanism at the Foreign Ministry with Jan Pronk, UNSR and EU ambassadors and Dr. Mustafa Osman Ismael, Sudanese Foreign Minister and his team
	23–24 August—I visited Sudan. I called on Mustafa Ismail and President Bashir. I met other members of the Government at a lunch.
	2 September—the British ambassador in Khartoum called on Salah Ghosh (Director General National Security)
	6 September—the British ambassador in Khartoum called on Yahya Hussein (Minister at the Presidency)
	7 September—the UK Special Representative for Sudan met the Sudanese ambassador in London.

Sudan

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on (a) the Government's assessment of whether the atrocities committed in Darfur constitute genocide and (b) the implications of Secretary of State Powell's comments on genocide in Darfur to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 9 September.

Chris Mullin: There is no doubt that grave crimes against humanity have been committed in Darfur. These may amount to genocide. What Colin Powell said to the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee underlines the need for all the evidence to be examined by an international commission of inquiry, which we would like the Security Council to set up.
	The evidence currently available further underlines the need for sustained international action to press the Government of Sudan to carry out its responsibilities. That is what we are seeking through the Security Council.
	During my own visit to Sudan this week, I will also be making clear to the Government of Sudan its prime responsibility to protect its own citizens and to bring to justice all those responsible for human rights abuses.

UK Presidency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what preparations the Government are making for the forthcoming UK Presidency of the EU.

Denis MacShane: Each Government Department and devolved Administration has established its own structure for preparing for the Presidency, including teams within the European Union Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK Permanent Representation to the EU. The Cabinet Office European Secretariat has an overall co-ordinating role.
	During our Presidency we will hold two European Councils in Brussels. Other formal Ministerial Councils and meetings of officials will take place in Brussels and Luxembourg.
	Some informal ministerial meetings will take place in the UK during the UK Presidency. Planning for these and other official level events is under way.

UK Presidency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the main themes for the forthcoming UK Presidency of the EU will be.

Denis MacShane: The Government's main priority for the UK Presidency of the EU in 2005 will be to take forward the EU policy agenda in an efficient, effective and impartial way, with a strong emphasis on the agenda which we will inherit from the preceding Dutch and Luxembourg Presidencies. That agenda is set out in detail in the Council's Multi-Annual Strategic Programme, covering the three year period from 2004–06, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House.

UK Presidency

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether a logotype for the UK Presidency of the EU has been agreed.

Denis MacShane: The logo and a number of related issues are under discussion between Government Departments. It is not the usual practice for a future Presidency to publish its logo before the preceding Presidency has done so: the Luxembourg Presidency logo has only recently been unveiled.

Zimbabwe

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Zimbabwean Government on its raid on the MDC offices in Bulawayo.

Chris Mullin: Our embassy in Harare is monitoring the situation carefully. We condemn the intimidation and harassment of the Government of Zimbabwe's opponents, and will continue to make this clear.

Zimbabwe

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make urgent representations to the Zimbabwean Government on the arrest of MDC member Mr. Nelson Chamisa.

Chris Mullin: Mr. Chamisa was released without charge on the afternoon of 10 September. The British embassy in Harare was in contact with Mr. Chamisa after his arrest and will continue to monitor the situation.
	We regularly raise human rights issues with the Government of Zimbabwe.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Access Management Grant Scheme

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the take-up of the Access Improvement Grant Scheme by local authorities has been; what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Scheme in meeting its stated objectives; and what will become of the Scheme as a result of Rural Strategy 2004.

Alun Michael: Take-up of the Access Management Grant Scheme has been very good. 24 access authorities, covering 96 per cent. of mapped access land in mapping areas 1 to 5, have bid for funding to support their preparatory planning work. Five local authorities have, so far, submitted bids for infrastructure work. Most authorities are still at the planning and consultation stage and we expect them to submit infrastructure bids during the autumn.
	The Scheme has been running for five months and it is therefore too early to assess how well it will meet all the objectives set for its first year. The Countryside Agency has reported on progress in the first three months, during which period the Scheme has proved successful and popular with local authorities. The Agency will be carrying out a more detailed assessment of the Scheme's overall performance in October. This will inform decisions on the level of funding and priorities for next year.
	I have extended funding for a further two years, to provide the necessary support to enable local authorities to complete access planning and on-site infrastructure work by March 2007.
	This work is an important early step in delivering the Rural Strategy 2004 objective of making the countryside more accessible for all. As the scheme currently runs only until March 2007, it will not be incorporated into the streamlined funding arrangements announced in the Strategy, which we plan to complete by March 2007. If a requirement for funding is identified beyond March 2007, we will review how best to meet it within the context of the new arrangements.

Biofuels

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the latest figures are that she has collated on the sale of biofuels.

Elliot Morley: Currently, around two million litres of biodiesel are sold each month in the UK. We are not aware of any sales of bioethanol. Biodiesel sales have been stimulated by the existing 20p per litre duty rate cut. A similar incentive for bioethanol will come into force in January 2005.

Biofuels

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of biofuels sold were produced from imported vegetable oil in the last year for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: Currently, around half of the two million litres of biodiesel sold each month in the UK comes from imported biodiesel and this is mainly produced from virgin rape seed oil. It is known that some palm oil is used in the production of biodiesel. Total imports of palm oil in 2001, the latest year for which figures are available, amounted to 1.28 million tonnes but information is not collected on the use of the oil. A further one million litres of biodiesel a month comes from recycled waste vegetable oil produced in the UK.

Cattle Passports

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate how many cattle have been killed because the British Cattle Movement Service has rejected a passport application or notification in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Alun Michael: Figures are not held for the number of calves that have been killed as a consequence of being refused passports. There is no compulsion for these calves to be destroyed, heifer calves refused passports may live out full and productive lives on the farm where they were born and any calves born to them may be registered in the normal way.
	The British Cattle Movement Service merged with the Rural Payments Agency on 1 April 2003.

TRANSPORT

A120

Alan Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to announce proposals for the improvement of the A120 road east of Braintree.

David Jamieson: Following the outcome of the recent Spending Review, we are currently considering funding allocations across departmental programmes, including the Targeted Programme of Trunk Road Improvements. Subject to the outcome of this exercise the Highways Agency intend to present at Public Consultation this autumn, proposals for delivering the dualling of the Al 20 between Braintree and Marks Tey. I shall review the findings of this exercise, together with the outputs of the work currently being undertaken by the Highways Agency, with the intention of being able to take a position on this proposal by Spring 2005.

Disabled Parking

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the entitlement of those diagnosed with myasthenia gravis to disabled parking provision.

Tony McNulty: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 9 September 2004, Official Report, column 1327W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Colman).

Safety Cameras

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who is responsible for auditing safety camera partnerships; and to which bodies the partnerships are answerable.

David Jamieson: A partnerships' accounts and its operation in line with the Department for Transport 'Handbook of rules and guidelines for the operation of the national road safety camera programme for England and Wales' is audited by the auditor appointed by the Audit Commission for the partner with lead responsibility for financial matters, most often one of the local authorities within the partnership.
	The rules and guidance (a copy of which is in the Library) require a partnership to submit its proposed programme to the Department for Transport for approval. Partnerships include one or more police authorities and local highway authorities. Partnership staff are employed and managed by them, and each partnership is answerable to them for its operation in line with the rules and guidance for the programme.

HOME DEPARTMENT

People Smuggling

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps are taken to co-ordinate Government resources in monitoring non-commercial aircraft movements to detect people smuggling; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The Government monitors the movement of non-commercial aircraft through the Border Agencies Working Group, a forum that brings together representatives from the control authorities, the Civil Aviation Authority and Transec. The Group co-ordinates an on-going series of multi-agency operations at small ports and airfields, which assess levels of risk, and provides a forum for the control authorities to develop shared intelligence.
	Additionally the Immigration Service regularly assesses the risks to the UK immigration control and will be monitoring whether the recent disruption by the police of an alleged facilitation attempt using light aircraft in Kent was a "one-off" or is part of a trend to target small airfields. The border agencies and law enforcement are actively engaged in a series of joint working initiatives to identify and combat external risks and organised criminal activity targeting the UK borders at small ports and airfields.

Antisocial Behaviour

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how his Department's TOGETHER campaign attempts to tackle antisocial behaviour in Leyton and Wanstead.

Hazel Blears: TOGETHER is a campaign for both practitioners and the public across all of England and Wales. The approach includes prioritising local concerns about antisocial behaviour, getting the right people from local agencies working with the community to tackle the problem and making effective use of available sanctions and providing feedback to the community on progress at all stages.
	On the practitioner side, the campaign is an ambitious programme that is designed to provide help, resources and know-how to every practitioner across the country. It has three core aims; to make the use and application of tools and powers simple and effective, to take the best of what is developed locally and spread it nationally, and to create a change in culture so that action is taken. The TOGETHER Academy, ActionLine and Website—backed up by practical step-by step guides and antisocial behaviour ambassadors remove excuses for inaction and raise the level of practice across England and Wales.
	On the public side it is for individual Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships to decide how to take forward the campaign at a local level. The TOGETHER campaign pack gives the tools for local authorities, police and community groups to run a TOGETHER campaign in their area.

Burglary (Wandsworth)

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the results of the evaluation of the Reducing Burglary Initiative for the London borough of Wandsworth.

Hazel Blears: My hon. Friend the Member for Slough (Fiona Mactaggart) said in reply to my hon. Friend's oral question about the Reducing Burglary Initiative on 14 June 2004, Official Report, column 515 that the report of the findings of the process evaluation of the initiative would be published in the summer, though this will not identify projects individually. However, because of delays in finalising the report for publication, it will now be published later this autumn.

Crime Trends

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made, using the Home Office Trends in Crime model, of the impact on crime rates of (a) economic and (b) demographic changes in each year since 1995.

Hazel Blears: The Home Office Trends in Crime model is an empirical model which attempts to explain annual changes in recorded crime in England and Wales by reference to annual changes in a number of economic, demographic, and criminal justice variables. It has been developed by joint external and internal research effort with the purpose of providing the Home Office with a tool for identifying those determinants of crime that are both within and outside of its control.
	The model is robust, but highly aggregated. As such it cannot account for all the factors that impact on crime rates. It has nonetheless demonstrated that economic and demographic factors have been important determinants of changes in crime over time.
	The model has not been used to attribute annual changes in crime to each of the explanatory variables. However, the model predicts that, if other factors remain constant, a permanent 1 per cent. increase in the growth rate of consumption expenditure reduces the growth rate of crime by about 1.7 per cent. On a similar basis, an increase of 1 per cent. in the growth rate of the proportion of young males in the population would increase the growth rate of crime by about 0.5 per cent.

Departmental Staff

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide his Department's staffing levels for 1998–99, in the format set out in table 6.1 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2003–04.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 29 June 2004
	Since 1998–99, the Central Home Office has been re-organised to meet its Public Service Agreements (PSAs) and it not possible to make a direct staffing level comparison in the format set out in the Department's 2003/04 Annual Report. This comparison is further made more difficult as a result of the current Spending Review and Strategic Plan commitments to reduce staffing levels. The streamlining Department's headquarters resulting in a reduction of staff numbers by 30 per cent. to focus resources on the front-line will mean further format comparisons will be as difficult. There will also be similar reductions in the headquarters of Prison Service and Immigration and Nationality Directorate (reducing in total headquarter staff numbers by 2,700 full-time equivalents).
	The following table provides the closest comparison. Staff that were recorded in Criminal Policy Directorate, Police Policy Directorate and Organised and International Crime Directorate are now organised within the Criminal Justice Group, Crime Reduction and Community Safety Group, Community Policy Group and Correctional Services.
	
		
			 Staff distribution—1998–99 Central Home Office (excluding agencies) Civil service full-time equivalents Casuals Secondments Total 
		
		
			 Criminal Policy Directorate 457 0 0 457 
			 Police Policy Directorate 682 17.5 414 1,113.5 
			 Organised and International Crime Directorate 102 0 23 125 
			 Immigration and Nationality Directorate 4,500 100 0 4,600 
			 Fire and Emergency Planning Directorate 209 2 11 212 
			 Constitutional and Community Policy Directorate 176 0 0 176 
			 Research Development and Statistics Directorate 226 12 0 238 
			 Planning and Finance Directorate. 167 0 0 167 
			 Corporate Resources Directorate (in 2003/04 called Human  Resources, Corporate Development Services Directorate ) 652 6 2 660 
			 Legal Advisors 33 — — 33 
			 Communication Directorate 99 — — 99 
			 Ministerial and Central Secretariat 77 — — 77 
			 Prison Service Monitoring Unit 4 — — 4 
			 HM Inspectorate of Prisons 12 — — 12 
			 Prisons Ombudsman 15 — — 15 
			 Total Central Home Office (excluding Agencies) 7,411 1,37.5 450 7,998.5 
			 Home Office: agencies 
			 Prison Service 38,352 1,043 0 39,395 
			 United Kingdom Passport Agency 1,1185 315 0 1,500 
			 Forensic Science Service 1,284 11 0 1,295 
			 Fire Service College 185 0 0 185 
			 Total Home Office 48,417 1,464.5 450 50,331.5

Immigration

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many extension of leave to remain applications had not been decided by the end of the original leave to remain period as at (a) 1 January 2003 and (b) 1 January 2004; and how many of those outstanding cases had been outstanding for (i) over six months and (ii) over 12 months on such dates.

Des Browne: The requested information on outstanding applications is not readily available and could only be obtained by examination of individual case records at disproportionate cost.
	It is the aim of General Group in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to decide 70 per cent. of all new chargeable applications within three weeks and 100 per cent. within 13 weeks.

Name that Tag Campaign

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals have been successfully prosecuted as a result of the "name that tag" campaign; and how much reward money has been paid out as a result.

Paul Goggins: No prosecutions have been brought as a direct result of "name that tag" as yet, but police investigations are well under way following information received.
	Crimestoppers are not aware of any money at present having been paid out yet as a reward under the "name that tag" campaign.
	Table 2e of the "Crime in England and Wales 2003–2004" Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/04 shows that the proportion of people perceiving high levels of vandalism, graffiti and other deliberate damage to property in their local area has decreased from 35 per cent. according to the 2002–03 British Crime Survey, to 28 per cent. according to the 2003/04 BCS.

Operation Scrap-It

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how Operation Scrap-It affects the residents of Leyton and Wanstead.

Hazel Blears: Operation Scrap-It started in October 2003 and will run until March 2006. It entails building up the infrastructure (pound space, removal trucks, skills and knowledge) across all London boroughs to meet the agreed target that nuisance vehicles will be removed within 72 hours of reporting by October 2004. The rest of the country will then be able to learn from this good practice.
	This scheme is already proving successful in my hon. Friend's constituency.
	LB Redbridge only started the removal of untaxed vehicles on 7 September 2004, nine vehicles from Wanstead were removed on the first day.
	Between the period 1 May 2004 to 31 August 2004, LB Waltham Forest (Leyton) have removed 45 vehicles. This has included six untaxed vehicles, 39 abandoned vehicles and 10 surrendered vehicles.

Operation Scrub-It

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how Operation Scrub-It has affected the residents of Leyton and Wanstead.

Hazel Blears: Graffiti can lead to an area becoming more and more run-down, with a corresponding increase in crime and fear of crime. Untackled graffiti undermines faith in the services that authorities provide.
	That is why Sections 48–52 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 enable a local authority to serve a "graffiti removal notice" on the owners of street furniture, statutory undertakers and educational institutions whose property is defaced with graffiti. If the owner does not remove the graffiti in compliance with the notice, the local authority may do so and recover its costs.
	In response to concerns about the regulatory impact of these powers, we are currently piloting the new powers in 12 areas of the country. The pilots began on 31 March 2004 and we will consider further roll-out once these are completed. The 12 authorities piloting these powers are:
	Barnsley metropolitan borough council
	Bristol city council
	Cambridge city council
	Dartford borough council
	Doncaster metropolitan borough council
	Epping Forest district council
	Kirklees metropolitan borough council
	London borough of Merton
	London borough of Westminster
	Northampton borough council
	Southampton city council
	Wansbeck district council (with Northumberland county council)

Transsexual People

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents were reported to the police in which hatred of transsexual individuals is involved in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by police authority.

Hazel Blears: Information concerning the number of incidents reported to the police in which hatred of transsexual individuals was involved is not recorded.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Art Galleries

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which art galleries, broken down by region, have received funding from arts councils in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available; and how much funding was granted in each case.

Estelle Morris: Over 1,300 arts organisations receive funding from Arts Council England on an on-going basis. The Arts Council has a funding agreement with these organisations which is reviewed regularly to ensure the funds invested are meeting the terms of the agreement. Regular funding to arts organisations is paid out of grant-in-aid.
	In total, 245 Visual Arts organisations receive core funding from Arts Council England. The full list is too long to be printed in Hansard, but copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. A breakdown of funding by region is provided in the following table. Regularly funded organisations are awarded funding towards core costs for the period mirroring the Treasury's spending review cycle. The most recent announcement of allocations to Regularly Funded Organisations was made in March 2003, and provides funding up to 2005–06.
	
		Visual Arts Organisations—total by region
		
			 Region 2003–04 (£) 2004–05 (£) 2005–06 (£) Total number of organisations 
		
		
			 East 1,077,076 1,214,727 1,349,332 13 
			 East Midlands 604,850 809,688 952,036 17 
			 London 10,973,477 12,392,161 13,809,144 60 
			 National 395,570 392,000 526,382 5 
			 North East 1,621,016 1,898,894 2,329,783 23 
			 North West 2,025,674 2,618,336 3,008,199 24 
			 South East 2,634,428 2,854,981 3,069,174 29 
			 South West 1,644,667 1,895,411 2,191,050 22 
			 West Midlands 2,330,717 2,825,232 2,892,737 30 
			 Yorkshire 1,692,700 2,087,075 2,351,150 22 
		
	
	Source:
	Arts Council England.

Ministerial Air Travel

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list for each year since 1997 the number of miles flown by each Minister in her Department on official departmental business.

Richard Caborn: Records on this issue are not held centrally and to gather figures would be at disproportionate cost to the Department.
	However, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing £500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. These report information reaching back to 1995–96. Information for 2003–04 is currently being assembled and will be published shortly. All ministerial and civil service travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers, and Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Parks (London)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans there are for the refurbishment of parks in London.

Richard Caborn: The only parks for which the Department is responsible are the eight Royal Parks. Plans for their upkeep and refurbishment are set out in the Royal Parks Corporate Plan 2004–05, copies of which will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses shortly.

Recruitment Costs

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the recruitment costs of (a) the chairman of the Film Council, (b) the chairman of Resource: The Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries and (c) the chairman of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment were; and what (i) the salary of each chairman and (ii) the combined salary cost of each chairman's staff was in the latest year for which figures are available.

Estelle Morris: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for North-East Cambridgeshire (Mr. Moss) on 21 July 2004, Official Report, columns 303–04W. The chairs of the three bodies concerned do not have dedicated support staff.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been in receipt of attendance allowance in the (a) Edinburgh, Central, (b) Edinburgh, North and Leith, (c) Edinburgh, West, (d) Edinburgh, Pentlands, (e) Edinburgh, South and (f) Edinburgh, East and Musselburgh parliamentary constituencies in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		People in receipt of attendance allowance by parliamentary constituency as at February on a yearly basis since 1997
		
			 Thousand 
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All 8.9 8.9 9.4 9.4 9.4 9.4 9.5 9.8 
			 Edinburgh, Central 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 1.3 1.3 1.4 
			 Edinburgh, East and Mussleburgh 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.8 2.0 1.6 1.8 
			 Edinburgh, North and Leigh 1.7 1.5 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.6 
			 Edinburgh, Pentlands 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.5 
			 Edinburgh, South 1.9 1.8 1.9 2.0 2.0 1.9 1.8 1.7 
			 Edinburgh, West 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.4 1.3 1.7 1.7 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures taken from a 5 per cent. sample at February of each year. From November 2002, the methodology for producing these figures was changed to allow statistics to be published much sooner. This has resulted in a small increase in the reported case load. This is because some cases which have actually terminated but have not yet been updated on the computer system are now included.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre.

Disability Living Allowance

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what dates since 1 July the customer service computer was not working in the Cardiff Office of the Appeals Service for disability living allowance.

Maria Eagle: The administration of the Appeals Service is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Appeals Service, Christina Townsend. She will now write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from Christina Townsend to Mr. Adrian Flook, dated 14 September 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question regarding which days since 1 July the customer service computer was not working in the Cardiff office of the Appeals Service for Disability Living Allowance.
	The computer system in Cardiff has been fully operational and available for use each day since 1 July. However, the issue as I understand it concerns the external customer contact email address for that office.
	For a period between the end of June to the end of July, emails sent to the Cardiff office email address were not monitored or actioned due to an administrative reorganisation within the office. I can only apologise for this error but can confirm that during this period, all other channels of communication were functioning as normal.
	I hope this reply is helpful.

Benefit Claimants

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in relation to applications for benefits from residents of (a) Aylesbury and (b) Milton Keynes in each year since 2000, how many applicants were required to take a medical examination; what benefits were applied for that required a medical examination; and how many of those medical examinations were undertaken at (i) Luton, (ii) Aylesbury and (iii) Euston.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the following tables.
	The only benefit requiring a medical examination dealt with by Aylesbury and Milton Keynes district offices is incapacity benefit.
	
		Incapacity benefit claimants, whose claims were administered by Aylesbury or Milton Keynes district offices and whohad medical examinations.
		
			  2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 Aylesbury 648 943 963 3057 2393 
			 Milton Keynes 905 945 1268 779 0 
		
	
	
		Location of Medical Examination Centres carrying out examinations of incapacity benefit claimants from Aylesbury andMilton Keynes district offices.
		
			   2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 District Office: Exam Centre:  
			 Aylesbury Aylesbury 594 827 876 1496 1331 
			 Aylesbury Euston 0 13 9 5 8 
			 Aylesbury Luton 21 62 59 70 52 
			 Aylesbury Other 33 41 19 1486 1002 
			  Total 648 943 963 3057 2393 
			
			 Milton Keynes Aylesbury 816 384 662 582 — 
			 Milton Keynes Euston 2 3 2 3 — 
			 Milton Keynes Luton 37 491 487 158 — 
			 Milton Keynes Other 50 67 117 36 — 
			  Total 905 945 1268 779 — 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The Department for Work and Pensions centralised work for Milton Keynes at Aylesbury from 1 July 2003. Medical Services are therefore unable to give specific figures relating to applicants of Milton Keynes in 2004 as all work is referred to Medical Services from Aylesbury.
	2. The other category includes where a customer has had a Domiciliary visit or visited another Medical Examination Centre apart from Luton, Aylesbury or Milton Keynes.
	3. The "other" category for Aylesbury district office cases in 2003 and 2004 is high as it contains 1447 (2003) and 954 (2004) customers who attended Oxford Medical Examination Centre. These customers attended Oxford as they live in Oxford but the referrals show as Aylesbury due to centralisation; the Department for Work and Pensions centralised work for Oxford at Aylesbury in 2003.
	Source:
	Medical Services data

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Clinical and Educational Negligence

David Drew: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on the consultation on removing eligibility from children and placing it on parents in the case of clinical and educational negligence cases; and what assessment has been made of the implications of using conditional fee agreements in such cases.

David Lammy: We have no plans to remove the financial eligibility for legal aid from children and place it on their parents. In November 2002 we consulted on revising the guidance in relation to funding judicial review applications in the name of the child, which had particular relevance in education cases. The revised guidance was implemented from April 2003. The Legal Services Commission has issued a consultation paper, "A New Focus for Civil Legal Aid—encouraging early resolution; discouraging unnecessary litigation" which contains proposals on the use of conditional fee agreements generally, and the appropriate balance between private and public funding. The consultation closes on 15 October and we will announce the way forward thereafter.

District Judges

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many district judges are employed in the criminal jurisdiction of England and Wales; and how many there were in 1997.

Christopher Leslie: As at 1 September 2004 there were 126 district judges (magistrates courts) and 148 deputy district judges (magistrates courts) in post, in the Magistrates Courts of England and Wales. Prior to 2000, district judges and deputy district judges were formerly known as stipendiary magistrates and acting stipendiary magistrates. In 1997 there were 91 stipendiary magistrates and 85 acting stipendiary magistrates.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Visits

Sue Doughty: To ask the Prime Minister whether he sanctioned the visits of any members of his Government to (a) the Democrat and (b) the Republican conventions in the United States.

Tony Blair: No member of the Government attended in an official Government capacity the Democratic or Republican conventions in the United States.

Peerages

Owen Paterson: To ask the Prime Minister what the place of residence, at the time of their elevation, was of each peer created since 1 May 1997, broken down by (a) nation within the UK and (b) region of England, for peers resident in England at the time of elevation.

Tony Blair: 323 people have been elevated to the peerage since 1 May 1997.
	The place of residence at the time of their elevation is shown in the following table. Information for judicial peers is not held in the format requested.
	
		Residence at time of elevation
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 England  
			 North West 19 
			 North East 5 
			 Yorkshire/Humberside 15 
			 East Midlands 3 
			 East of England 24 
			 West Midlands 12 
			 South East 38 
			 South West 13 
			 London 147 
			   
			 Scotland 19 
			   
			 Wales 9 
			   
			 Northern Ireland 9 
			   
			 Judicial (no home address) 10

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academic Performance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps the Government are taking to prevent isolation and lack of commitment among students who are not achieving as much as their peers.

David Miliband: Ensuring the personalisation of teaching and learning is the effective response to difficulties of isolation and lack of commitment, the work of the Primary and Key Stage 3 National Strategies is central to this. Both Strategies help teachers give careful attention to pupils' learning needs, set challenging targets for them linked to high quality assessment, and offer tools to make lessons pacy, challenging and more enjoyable.

Citizenship Lessons

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment the Department has made of citizenship lessons within the national curriculum since their introduction;
	(2)  what (a) assistance and (b) guidance the Department gives on teaching the citizenship curriculum in secondary schools.

Stephen Twigg: The Department has commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research (NfER) to conduct an eight year longitudinal study of the impact of the subject on pupils' knowledge, understanding and skills. The study began in 2002 and reports of the first two years are available at www.nfer.ac.uk. Ofsted's section 10 inspections and QCA's monitoring reports provide effective progress reports on school practice and provision and have shown that good progress is being made. They are available from www.ofsted.gov.uk and www.qca.org.uk respectively.
	The QCA has developed and sent to all schools a range of guidance to support the introduction of citizenship education, including schemes of work and guidance on assessment and curriculum planning. The Department published in June a self evaluation tool for schools to help them monitor progress in developing citizenship education. The Department has also put in place a package of support for continuing professional development of teachers in citizenship education.

Departmental Energy Efficiency

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on energy efficiency in his Department's buildings.

Stephen Twigg: My Department remains committed to reducing energy usage in all its Department's buildings. A range of measures are in place and regularly reviewed and updated to ensure improved performance meets the requirements of the national policy "Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate".

Non-classroom Learning

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the role of out-of-classroom education and field trips in school education;
	(2)  what the Government's strategy is for ensuring (a) equality of access and (b) increased access for all schools and their pupils to out-of-classroom learning;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the merits of including out-of-classroom learning in Ofsted school inspections.

Stephen Twigg: Our "Five Year Strategy for Children and Learners" sets out our commitment to high standards for all within a broad and rich curriculum. Out of classroom learning is key to an enriched curriculum. It can take many forms, for example, through fieldwork, a statutory requirement of the Geography curriculum; through visits to farms and projects within school grounds, accessible to schools through our Growing Schools web service; through heritage and cultural visits, where high quality provision is provided through our Renaissance in the Regions programme; through music, where our Music Manifesto pledges access for every young person to a range of music experiences; through our PE and School Sports Strategy where we are creating a national network of 400 Specialist Sports Colleges and School Sport Partnerships to increase and enhance school sport, Schools will decide which out of classroom opportunities best meet the needs of their pupils. The Ofsted school inspection framework covers, and will continue to cover, all aspects of a school's provision, including out-of-classroom learning. needs of their pupils. The Ofsted school inspection framework covers, and will continue to cover, all aspects of a school's provision, including out-of-classroom learning.

Secondary School Teachers

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action the Department is taking to increase the number of people training to enter the secondary school sector as teachers.

David Miliband: Since September 2000, £6,000 training bursaries have been offered to postgraduate trainee teachers. An additional £4,000 Golden Hello is also available to those who train in and go on to teach priority subjects in a maintained secondary school. From September 2005, the value of the training bursary for those training in mathematics and science will increase to £7,000 and the Golden Hello payment for those subjects will rise to £5,000 for trainees entering Postgraduate Certificate in Education and equivalent courses at that time. These incentives have helped to increase recruitment to courses of initial teacher training for secondary school teachers by almost one-third between 1999–2000 and 2003–04.
	The Teacher Training Agency's Use your head. Teach, advertisement campaign for 2004–05 will focus on the recruitment of teachers for secondary schools and priority subjects